Stealth
by Statyck
Summary: In which the plot to kidnap a young Blood Elf goes awry. (M for later content.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi.**

 **-Statyck**

 **/*\**

Though he was loathe to admit it, Eversong was beautiful. The rivers flowed clear and flashed colors in the light. The trees stood tall, red and orange foliage trailing to the ground. The dragonkin living on the land matched the trees in color, and upon taming one the hunter found them to be very good companions. He'd have to see if he couldn't find an egg to bring back to his sister. She'd love to have a creature like this.

 _Yes._ The Night Elf thought to himself. _I suppose this place is rather nice. Pity it's riddled with enemies._ Just up the river, he could hear laughter. Though it was pretty the river made him uneasy. It was not ordinary. Even the portions that passed through the Dead Scar remained untainted, and he could sense the magical sparks of energy in the water. It was so smooth, so subtle, that it almost seemed natural.

In fact, the arcane energy was everywhere. He could sense its presence in the boughs of the trees, the soil beneath his feet. It even existed in the blood of the animals around him.

 _Was this always arcane land?_ He mused. _Did the Blood Elves do this? Or did they simply adapt to it?_ Though it was an intriguing notion, he didn't have time to wonder. The sun was setting and the laughter grew closer. He needed to return to camp. He retreated into the dusk, and made his way back.

Though Eversong was nice, it was still enemy territory. He'd be happy to leave. He'd mapped out nearly the entire region, and after he and his group captured their target, he could go back to Teldrassil.

/*\

"Lilliya," A soft voice called. "Lilliya, wake up." The girl in question grumbled in response and pulled the light covers over her head. The voice lost its soothing quality. "Lilliya I'm serious."

"Don't wanna." She murmured. "I'm so tired." The voice sighed and the girl felt the covers being ripped away from her.

The room wasn't chilly, but there was a breeze. That was the thing about Elven architecture. There were no windows or doors. Even the aristocrats lived in extremely open housing. The rooms were connected by outdoor ramps, and the walls gave way to gaping doorways covered by nothing more than sheer curtains.

Lilliya jolted up and hurled a fireball at her brother. He immediately ducked down and hastily put out the flame devouring the curtains behind him.

"What the hell, Lilliya?!"

"You have some serious audacity, brother." She growled. "You haven't spoken two words to me since you returned and now you're rousing me out of bed on my day off?"

"Lilliya that's not-"

"Not what. Your intention? Then please tell me Kael, what are you doing?" She could see him trying to calm down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and glanced back to her.

"I've made some plans. There is someone I would like you to meet today." Lilliya tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Who?"

"You'll see. Take a bath and get dressed. There's already hot water in the basin and I brought you your favorite tea." Lilliya raised an eyebrow and stood up from the bed, smoothing her nightgown and striding over to her chest to pick out a robe for the day.

"Do you even know what my favorite tea is anymore?" She asked. "You were gone an awfully long time." The man looked as though he wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but thought better of it. He took a deep breath and his eyes softened.

"Dragonleaf. Dragonleaf is your favorite tea." He smiled at the surprised look on her face. "I also brought you gingerbread cookies for breakfast." He paused, and let the smile get bigger. "Don't tell mother." To this she fell silent. Gingerbread cookies? 'Don't tell mother'? _He's trying awfully hard to get on my good side today._ She thought. _What did you do Kael?_

"I didn't think you would remember." And with that she strode past Kael and made her way down to the washroom.

/*\

"Thaellas!" The hunter turned, watching as the little gnome ran up to him. "Thaellas, the captain is calling! We're gonna start the raid soon!"

"Yes," he responded, "I'll be right there. Just allow me to finish packing, Holly." She nodded and raced to the other side of the camp, informing everyone else of the captain's orders. He sometimes felt amazed at her. Who knew that such a tiny body could hold so much energy?

He finished packing up his tent, stood up, and wove his silvery hair into a tight braid. It was more comfortable to just let it hang down his back, but he could not allow a few stray hairs to disrupt his vision.

Thaellas called his new pet – a dragonhawk, he thought the name was – and strode to the center of camp. Finally, at long last, the anticipation would come to a climax. After months of planning and weeks of camping, they were going to carry out their mission. Though he'd be glad to be done with it, he felt a little uncertain.

The captain was a human man. He was nearing his forties, he looked like, and an eyepatch covered his left socket. His breath always smelled of liquor, though his habits did not detract from his fighting skills. He was fair in his judgement of other people and he paid fairly. That is, after the mission concluded. He wasn't the easiest man to work with either, he rejected any idea that was not his own. It didn't help that Thaellas had also heard rumors about Captain James Pitch. Rumors that placed him in shady places participating in sketchy activities.

Their mission was simple. Captain Pitch was intent on capturing a Blood Elf, and he refused to give any reason.

Why would a human man want to capture a young, beautiful Sin'dorei woman?

/*\

Lilliya washed up in the bath and took an exceptionally long time brushing out her long bronze hair. She huffed and straightened her robe. She'd chosen one of her silk robes. It was comfortable, and her brother _had_ said she'd be meeting someone new today. She glared at the mirror. Her brother was erratic but he always had a reason for doing things. Now that her father had passed, certain responsibilities had passed on to Kael.

She was certain that was why he'd come home. Not because he missed them, not because he wanted to check in, but rather their father. If he came back, there would be a lot for him to inherit.

There was only one reason why he would spontaneously ask her to go out and meet someone of his acquaintance. He knew she didn't typically like being around other people – her studies were far more important – and he'd been unusually nice to her that morning. She could still taste the spicy gingerbread and light Dragonleaf on her lips.

Lilliya walked back to her room and chose a staff. She retrieved her bag as well as her spell book. Yes, the more she thought about it the more obvious it was. There was definitely something suspicious about this. If this was what she thought it was, she just might have to kill Kael.

/*\

About an hour later she was following him into a stranger's house. A mansion it looked like, with a main hall and several rooms branching off into ramps to the upper floors.

Kael led her into the living area, and shook hands with an older man. They spoke in hushed tones for a moment before someone else entered the room. Kael grinned and embraced the newcomer. The two men smiled at each other and exchanged pleasantries before he turned and introduced him.

"Lilliya, this is Matis Morninglight, and his son is a good friend of mine." Hesitantly she nodded at him and said hello. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise.

"Hello Lilliya." He said. "I look forward to courting you." She tilted her head.

"I'm sorry?" She squeaked. Vyir stared at her blankly then shot a sideways look to Kael.

"You didn't tell her?" He asked. Kael shrugged.

"She wouldn't have cooperated."

"Tell me what?" Lilliya intervened, taking a step back. All three men looked at her and she couldn't help but notice that they were between her and the door. This was not good.

"Relax, sister." Kael said. "This is nothing serious, I just wanted to introduce you to a potential suitor." She raised an eyebrow.

"I did not realize you thought me stupid, brother. Tell me the truth." It was at this point that Vyir took a step forward and intervened.

"Lilliya, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. For the past few months my father and I have been speaking with your brother. It is our understanding that it is time for you to marry, and I would like to be the first in line for your hand."

All Lilliya could do was stare at him.

/*\

Thaellas watched as the draenei paladin walked up to the captain. Human men were small compared to the night elves alone. Thaellas towered over Captain Pitch, standing at 7'4" above his measly 6'0". Draenei were even bigger. The paladin – Derul – was nearly a foot taller than Thaellas. When the man came stomping out of his tent, horns gleaming and sword unsheathed, the elf found himself impressed by the human man's indifference. Derul's sheer size made Pitch seem positively fragile. It would take very little for Derul to hurt the captain, and he definitely wanted to.

"Is something the matter, Derul?" Captain Pitch inquired, staring intently at his flask.

"Tell me why you want that girl." The draenei growled, his heavy accent nearly marring his words. The captain had to stand up and crane his neck to make eye contact with the enraged man standing before him.

"I don't see why I should. It wasn't relevant when I first hired you."

"It's relevant now." Derul stated. "In light of what I have just discovered." The draenei threw a scroll at the captain's feet. The human picked it up and inspected its contents. He scoffed and let it drop to the ground.

"I did not pay you to rummage through my things."

"Actually, you did not pay us at all." A new voice interjected. Thaellas turned and saw Madrii, Derul's wife. She had joined the venture to accompany her husband, and she had told Thaellas on several occasions that she did not like the captain.

"That's true." Holly added. "You said you'd pay us after the fact. We figured we'd just be splitting ransom money." The gnome paused. "But now I get the feeling you had something a little different in mind."

"Indeed he did." The draenei growled. "He was planning to sell her." Thaellas quirked a brow.

"Sell her," he said slowly, "as in the illegal trafficking of Sin'dorei women?" The captain rolled his eye.

"There is nothing illegal about transporting prisoners to the stockades in Stormwind. You are blowing this entirely out of proportion." Thaellas picked up the scroll and looked through it.

"While that may be true, guards don't typically pay 40,000 gold for just one prisoner. Especially when there is absolutely no listing of whatever crime she committed to warrant going to the stockades."

"She is Sin'dorei. That's crime enough." Thaellas shook his head.

"It is not a crime to exist. She may have been born Horde but as of yet she has done nothing to earn the wrath of the Alliance." The captain moved as though to place a hand on his hip, but at the last moment drew his pistol and shot.

/*\

Lilliya suffered through the encounter with a magnanimous amount of grace. At least she thought so. She had apologized for the scene she made, saying that she had just been surprised. She was quickly forgiven, and they were led to a small gaming table. They played chess while they talked.

Vyir seemed nice, but she did not like the position she'd been put in. He inquired after her studies, asking her questions regarding her choice to be a fire mage in a family of paladins. She answered sparingly and asked about his training. She learned that he was a warrior and if his house wasn't enough, his attitude alone gave away his aristocratic heritage. He recounted tales of adventures he'd had with her brother, and bragged of his family history.

Instead of telling her about himself, he spent his time explaining why he would be a good choice. She suspected he saw her distress, and was trying to persuade her to warm up to him. She nodded politely and smiled.

The encounter lasted for about an hour before Kael and Matis intervened. The first courting session had ended. She was free to leave, and took every ounce of self-discipline she had not to sigh in relief. She had been too angry to even think of enjoying this encounter, and Vyir was very obviously uncomfortable. Tense goodbyes were said, and it was time to go. She refused her brother's hand and rose from the chair, stalking towards the door when footsteps sounded behind her. A hand touched her wrist and she whirled.

"Listen," Vyir said, standing next to her, "I understand your trepidation. I would not like being thrust into something this important without prior knowledge of it either. That being said, I would like to ask you to overlook this first encounter. It was not my intention to frighten you." And then softer, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "I swear, Kael has no tact." Lilliya couldn't help a tiny smile.

"I agree." She answered, and then looked away. She should have known to expect something like this. She couldn't simply tell this suitor to go away, he was Kael's friend. Her brother had definitely done that on purpose. She would have to be a little craftier in order to chase him away, when an idea struck her. "I will agree to see you again, but on one condition."

"And what is that?" she smiled.

"Duel me. You boasted of your family's history, your strength. I want to see if you can live up to your words." Given the conversation they'd been having, it was not an unreasonable request. He was a tad arrogant, and Lilliya knew her own power well. Fire was a force to be reckoned with, and those who commanded it even more so. If she defeated him, his pride would lay in ruins and he would refuse to see her again.

Much to her dismay he was not fazed. Vyir grinned, mischief glimmering in his eyes, and bowed.

"Of course. I will be happy to demonstrate to you my strength, Lilliya Silverspell."

 **/*\**

 **Long thing is long. Hope you liked it, dear reader!**

 **-Statyck**


	2. Chapter 2

**In reading that first chapter again, I realize it's kinda shit. I caught so many mistakes that I hadn't seen during editing. I think this one's a bit better. Hope you like the story so far!**

 **-Statyck**

 **/*\**

Thaellas stalked about the camp, waiting anxiously to hear the news. Derul was fast, but Pitch had been faster. The blue tent flaps rustled and the gnome emerged from the makeshift infirmary. Deep violet circles colored the skin beneath her eyes, but she did her best to give the night elf a cheery smile.

"Everything is fine." she said.

"So the shot wasn't fatal?" Holly shook her head.

"Nope. The bullet went through some of the tissue, but it didn't hit any bones or major blood vessels. It went clean through, actually. So all I had to do was stitch it up. With the help of some healing spells, it should be good as new in just a few days." Thaellas let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Good. Good. I was worried." The gnome laughed, and eased herself into a sitting position on a log.

"I think we were all worried. But in the meantime, what do we do? We've been out here weeks. Pitch is gone. We've put so much time and energy into this that we've nearly run out of gold. We don't have enough to get home." Thaellas nodded.

"I know. I've been thinking about that too. I have an idea."

/*\

The sun was just beginning to set as the siblings entered their house. Now that she was home, Lilliya was free to unleash her wrath. Tiny feet stomped their way into the kitchen and she whirled on her brother as soon as the dining table was between them.

"What were you thinking?!" She yelled at her brother. "What makes you think that marrying me off is a good idea? Especially now!" He leaned against the entryway and shrugged.

"You are of age. Vyir is a good man. I know him very personally. He knows what would happen if he were to ever hurt you. He'd take good care of you." Lilliya snorted.

"Do I look like I need to be taken care of?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You would want to be on your own?" He asked. His voice pitched at the end and he almost looked like he was trying not to smile.

"I am self-sufficient. If I marry it will be on _my_ terms." Suddenly his amusement died down.

" _Your_ terms?" He said, stepping forward. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't families like ours usually have our pairings arranged? Parents meeting with other parents and the like?"

"You aren't father." He stepped forward again, placing his palms on the table.

"No, but I am running this house now."

"What of your own pairing?" She shot back, grasping for straws, looking for anything that would stick. This gave Kael pause.

"What do you mean?"

"If it is so important that families like ours have arranged marriages, what of yours?" She repeated slowly, emphatically. "You are a part of this family too, are you not?" Kael looked at her blankly.

"I am engaged."

"Horseshit."

"Enough!" He bellowed. "This is happening whether you like it or not. Even so, it's not like you're getting married tomorrow. The next time you see Vyir you will be nice and you will keep yourself composed." Her lips twitched and she folded her arms.

"Actually, I made plans with Vyir." Lilliya said. Her brother's brow quirked.

"Did you now? What are these plans?"

"We're going to duel." For a moment Kael was silent, then he burst out laughing.

/*\

"…And that's how we make back the gold we've lost." Thaellas concluded. He'd gathered everyone to the center of the little encampment. They'd reset the tents, took a small meal, and sat down to listen. He hadn't lied to Holly, he knew something needed to happen and he hadn't forgotten that in the midst of his worrying. Even sitting Derul was leaning heavily on a stick, the wound in his side smarting. He'd landed a few good blows on Pitch, but the human man had proven himself to be as sly as he was skilled. He shot Derul and escaped into the woods. There were so few of them that they'd been given the choice to either pursue him or tend to the draenei.

The choice was obvious.

"I have one question." Holly piped up. "How do we get around the guards?" Thaellas shook his head.

"There are no guards." For a moment it was silent as each of the other three group members stared at him incredulously.

"You mean to tell me," Madrii said, "that this girl is an aristocrat, but there is no one protecting her?"

"She doesn't need guards." Thaellas responded darkly. "According to the Captains intel, she spent a year in Northrend fighting the Scourge. She was only fifteen and ended up with a dishonorable discharge from the Horde military. It doesn't say what she did, only that she is extremely dangerous and has been under strict watch since. She's not allowed to leave Quel'Thalas."

"Then how do you expect us to capture her?"

"That's where you come in, Madrii." He said. "You are a mage, and you're a potion-maker right?" the draenei nodded slowly.

"I am an alchemist, yes."

"If you can use your skills to create something to make her fall asleep, her fighting capabilities won't matter. In fact we won't have to fight at all. She takes tea just about an hour before bed. If we can ensure she will not wake, we can just take her from her house and no one will know until the next morning."

"That's…deceptive." Derul muttered.

"I'd like to do it the traditional way, yes, but you're wounded and there are only four of us. And if we do it this way no one gets hurt. On either side." Madrii nodded.

"I understand." She said slowly. "And I agree." Derul turned to her.

"Madrii!" He chided.

"I will not risk you dying for this!" She snapped.

"Guys!" Thaellas called the attention back to him. "This is going to be fine. No one is getting hurt. We have enough gold to get as far as Gilneas. We can wait out the ransom there and once we get the money we can be on our way." Derul shook his head and turned his gaze to the ground.

"I'll get to work on the potion," Madrii stated, before retreating back to her tent.

/*\

Lilliya was entirely taken aback. Why was Kael laughing? Normally he would have been fuming, scolding her for her rashness. She watched as he lost himself for a moment and then composed himself once more.

"You want to duel him." He said, trying to stave down the remaining bits of laughter. "I take it you've never seen Vyir fight?" She squared her shoulders and stared Kael in the eye.

"I take it you've never seen me fight." She growled. He held a hand up.

"Fair enough, but be warned. I've watched him destroy an entire army of Scourge. He's spent years fighting along the Dead Scar and in Deatholme. Northrend even." She nodded.

"I am aware. He was very proud of his work in Icecrown. All the same, I am not incompetent. I might not have fought enemies as grand as Arthas, but I have done my own fair share of work."

"Oh really?" Kael leered. "Like what?"

"You're my brother, you should know." She snapped, turning to the storerooms. "Why do you think mother dismissed the men meant to protect me?"

"That's a good question. Perhaps I'll ask her now."

"By all means, do. Even she does not know the entirety of the story." Lilliya took several cookies from a crate and stared down her brother for a few more minutes before he finally turned away.

"I know I've been gone for a while Lilliya. That doesn't mean I haven't kept up with you. I know you spent that year in Northrend, as just a child even, but I want to ask you one question."

"What?"

"Why were you dismissed?" He turned to stare at her as she nibbled on a piece of gingerbread. She could have answered honestly, and she absolutely wanted to. She wished with all her heart that she could talk to someone about what had happened that day just outside Icecrown. It had been cold, and awful, and she had been forced to make a horrifying decision. That alone she could have told him. That would not have been against the rules technically, but she couldn't do that. The unfortunate truth was that Lilliya trusted her brother about as far as she could throw him.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Now leave me be. I have studies to attend to." She said before strolling out of the room, sweets in hand, and treading to the upper floors of the house.

/*\

Thaellas eagerly awaited Madrii's return from the tent. As he watched the sun descend in the sky, he could hear the delicate clinking of glass and metal. He could hear her mutter softly to herself in Draenei, some words soft and some sharp.

He was anxious as he watched the sky steadily shift indigo. He thought he could faintly make out a star.

The night elf wanted this over with. He just wanted to go get the girl, hand in his ransom note, and head out to Gilneas. Eversong was too dangerous for them, so they had been camping on a murloc-infested beach. With the assistance of Madrii's magic none of the little beasties had caught on yet, but all the same: he wanted this over.

More than that, he wanted to go back to Teldrassil. He'd even gotten the ransom note written in ten minutes.

After what felt like eons, Thaellas heard the soft shifting of hooved feet on sand. He looked up and there was Madrii, holding a clear glass bottle filled with swirling violet liquid.

"Sleeping potion. She will be unconscious for a full twenty-four hours. She will not wake until we are most of the way to Gilneas." Thaellas nodded.

"Just in time too. If we leave now, we can catch her before she goes to bed tonight." The draenei nodded. "Holly, you stay here with Derul. Madrii, you're coming with me."

/*\

Lilliya absolutely adored her books. Ever since her return from Northrend, they had been the closest she'd gotten to real companions. Her crime had been serious, and though the details were classified – only she, the Reagent Lord, and the Orc general knew – no one wanted anything to do with her. Her friends had abandoned her, and the taverns hesitated to serve her. Her aristocratic blood was the only reason she wasn't rotting away in an Orcish dungeon. She was an outsider in her own lands, her home had become her prison, and there wasn't much else for her to do.

She sighed to herself. She was so out of touch with other people that she thought it was a good idea to duel a man she was 'courting'. Even if what happened at Northrend had been impressive to a degree, she had never actually fought another living person before. Just the Scourge.

She slammed her book shut and massaged her temples with a hand. She had just reread that same page ten times, and she still didn't know what it said. She was so preoccupied with her other thoughts that she simply could not concentrate. _Besides,_ she thought, _it's getting dark out anyways. I'll just go make my tea and have an early night tonight. A little extra sleep will do me no harm._

She lifted herself from her chair and pushed aside the curtains obscuring the doorway. She descended the ramp into the main house and went to the kitchen. She went through her normal routine. Lilliya filled up the tea kettle and let her fire magic do the work. She plucked her favorite teapot from a cabinet and filled it to the brim with boiling water. She picked a tea, she let it steep. The monotony of this habit filled her with a sort of comfort until she heard something near the front of the house. It was a loud crashing noise, as though someone had dropped a ceramic something on the tile floor. She stood still for a moment, her hand pausing with a teacup in the air.

Kael had left the house, and so had her mother. They were both running errands, and weren't meant to be back for another hour or two. Had that noise been them there would have been profuse amounts of swearing on her brother's part, or maybe a shriek from her mother.

Softly Lilliya placed the cup on the counter, making hardly a sound. She mouthed the words of a spell to herself, the fireball ready and charged in her hand. Silently she crept towards the front entryway, looking for any sign of suspicious activity. She went from room to room, searching for anything that might look even a bit out of place, but there was nothing.

 _Did I imagine it?_ She wondered to herself, letting the fire in her palm fade away. _It's possible. It's been a very long day._ Though she wasn't entirely satisfied with the thought, it was all she had. There was no evidence that someone had been in her house, but unease still prickled down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She momentarily found herself wishing that there were actual doors on her house and not just wispy curtains.

Lilliya made her way back to the kitchen and picked up the teapot when she noticed something. She removed the top and brought it to her nose. The smell had changed a bit, and now instead of tea it smelled like some sort of flower…? She inhaled again, but that strange scent had vanished. It wasn't there anymore and she was left furrowing her brows. The tea was just tea.

She had been on edge ever since leaving the Morninglight mansion. She was tired and anxious and maybe a little bit paranoid. She shook her head, replaced the top on the pot, and toted it up to her room with her cup.

/*\

Thaellas could not begin to describe the dread he felt in the pit of his stomach when he saw the girl lift the teapot to her nose. He observed her from behind, making sure that she took the bait.

They'd nearly missed her. She'd been filling up the pot when Madrii had sent a vase crashing in a distant room of the house. It had caught the young blood elf's attention. She'd left the kitchen and her drink unguarded, and it had given him the opportunity he needed. He pushed aside the curtains, raced to the counter, slipped the potion in the liquid, and bolted right back out. Everything had gone exactly as according to plan, and because of Madrii's object-reparation spell there was no evidence that anything had been tampered with. Until he sent the note from Gilneas, it would look as if the girl had simply run away.

Yes, everything had gone perfectly well. Until she noticed something about the tea. He immediately panicked because he realized: she'd left the top of the teapot off. He'd put it back on. _Shit!_ Thaellas inwardly screamed. He'd was certain that his cover was blown, and if that potion had any kind of scent...he didn't know. He hadn't checked. He was anxiously watching her as she investigated the beverage.

 _Don't throw it out, don't throw it out, don't throw it out…_ Thaellas silently prayed. This was his one shot. Madrii had made a lot of the potion, yes, but its effects dimmed after only a day. It would take very little time for it to become useless. If she threw it out his endeavors were doomed.

When Thaellas saw her place the top back on the teapot and begin to take it with her to her room, it took everything he had in him not to audibly sigh in relief. The trap was set, and his prey had taken the bait. Now he just had to be patient. Within ten minutes of the first sip of tea, she would be out cold.

 **/*\**

 **Was this better?**

 **-Statyck**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again.**

 **-Statyck**

 **/*\**

Thaellas counted down the minutes in his head carefully. As soon as she'd ascended the ramp to the upper floors of the house, he'd crept back in and Madrii had entered through the front. They both stared up the ramp, watching the crimson-gold lights bob up and down in the air and listening for the girl's light footsteps. The faint scratching of wood on stone was heard, then one final thump which they assumed was the girl sitting down.

The hunter signed to the mage that she was to keep an eye on the girl. Once she fell asleep, Madrii would pack up a few of the girl's things and take her away to the camp. Thaellas would keep watch. He was to look for and keep track of the other occupants of the house, and should they come back he would keep them sufficiently distracted while Madrii made off with their prize.

/*\

Imra knew something was wrong the moment she approached the house. She wasn't entirely certain what was wrong. Nothing appeared amiss. The azure veils in the entryways fluttered in the breeze, and the garden was impeccable. Several lynxes wandered the lawns, relaxed and yawning. They were entirely at ease. When she stepped in the door, Imra called for her daughter.

"Lilliya!" Her voice sounded. "Come down from you room. I have something for you." There was no answer. She was prepared to call again when she heard footsteps in another room. Immediately Imra froze.

She knew what her daughters footsteps sounded like. She knew what her sons footsteps sounded like. These were neither.

/*\

Thaellas listened as the woman stopped moving. She called for the girl and then waited. The night elf mentally swore and braced himself. He knew Madrii was nowhere near finished yet. If the mother went to the room and found a draenei with her incapacitated daughter, it would be all over. So he did what he had to, what each and every instinct railed against.

He ran between rooms and he made sure the blood elf heard him.

He waited to see what she would do, and he knew that this would be a far tougher enemy to face down than any other. He had seen personally what kal'dorei mothers alone did to those who harmed their children. On top of that, this woman was an aristocratic paladin. She wielded holy power and that power was strong enough for her to be upper-class.

He waited and listened as she approached the rooms. He shadowmelded into the walls of what looked to be a study, and stood stock still as he waited for the woman to pass him by. Her shoes clipped on the floor, keeping time with his pounding heart.

He saw her step through the entrance, and Thaellas couldn't help but think to himself how pretty she was. She had two fully-grown children and she didn't bear a single wrinkle. Her hair hung lush and long and thick, and there was not a single gray in sight. Her eyes shone bright with energy and fel magic, and the hair of her long eyebrows was perfectly groomed in a way that he'd never seen on any female night elf. Nor any blood elf, for that matter.

She glared around the room, searching for any kind of evidence that something was wrong. Her hand glowed, preparing a spell and he watched as she pulled a plain but large sword off her back. Thaellas held his breath, and prayed to Elune that she would not find him. This woman absolutely exuded competence. If she discovered him he knew he would be as good as dead.

She walked a little further in, inspecting the desk. Thaellas thought about running then, but it didn't take long for him to realize it would be too close. She would see him, and she would kill him. However, he couldn't wait for very much longer. The spell only did so much, if she turned around it wouldn't take much for her to notice him. He was camouflaged, not invisible.

It was then she chose to cross through the study into a small library, out the side of the room. She was no longer in his line of vision. If he was going to leave he had to do it now. So he moved, disrupting the spell, and walked as quietly as possible out the other doorway. He headed towards the other side of the house. He had to get to Madrii and run. His steps silent, he made his way to the ramp. Slowly but surely, he was making it. He was only about a step away when it happened.

He'd been so close too.

/*\

Madrii ascended the ramp and inspected the absolute chaos that was the elfs room. She stared at the girl before her, the small head pillowed on arms and a book. She walked over, a tad curious, and discovered just what the elf had been studying. It was just a book on basic fire magic. In fact, she was familiar with the tome itself. She was halfway through the exact same book, given to her by her instructor. She was meant to finish it before she returned to the Exodar.

The draenei turned away and focused on her task. The girl – Lily, Lilliana, she couldn't remember – had all sorts of things strewn about the room. Clothes, magic supplies, paper, even the odd dish here and there. It was the room of someone who didn't see the point in putting things away when she'd just be using them again the next day. She had so many books that some were stacked on the floor and the bed was unmade, the covers halfway on the floor. _Mother would have killed me if I ever left my room this way._ She idly thought. Fortunately, Madrii didn't have to look very long to find certain things. The elf had a backpack leaning against her desk, and it was filled to the brim with supplies. It already had a few old robes in it, as well as some shoddy cloth armor. Upon further inspection she discovered that the bits of clothing had holes in them.

The elf was meant to be their prisoner, yes, and the draenei were not particularly fond of sin'dorei. Yet Madrii couldn't help but think that it would be unkind to give her nothing but damaged clothes for the trip. Especially since it would be chilly in Gilneas. After all, even if she was a blood elf she had committed no crime. This was strictly an act of desperation. This was unfair to the girl as is. So dumping the contents of the bag onto the bed, Madrii searched through several chests and drawers and began to gather the appropriate gear for the journey.

It took but five minutes for Madrii to get the bag mostly packed. Somehow the clothing in the chest was neatly folded and the armoire and drawers were organized to a T. She even had her stockings sorted by color. The stark mismatch left her wondering for but a moment until she heard it.

"Lilliya!" A womans voiced called. "Come down from you room. I have something for you." Madrii's heart froze. She stuffed one final set of underwear and robes into the pack, and lifted the tiny girl onto her shoulder. The draenei caught sight of her face for just a second, the roundness of the elf's features, the overt fullness of her lips. _Just how young is this girl?_ She wondered, but there was no time to dwell on it. Her family had come home, and so the draenei had to run.

 _I should have learned how to make portals before I left!_ She mentally scolded herself before jumping out the window.

/*\

"What. The. Hell?" Kael said. He'd just returned to the house. His sister had left him in such a sour mood that he'd needed to take a trip to the tavern. Four drinks and a pretty lady later his mood had improved considerably. He figured he was ready to return home. He would try to talk to Lilliya a little more, try to get her to see his side. He knew she did not hold a high opinion of him, and though he was loathe to admit it, she was probably right to doubt him.

He'd been gone an awful long time. He'd vanished for nearly ten years, over half her life, and he hadn't thought to return until he'd heard of his father's death. At that point he had to come back, at least for the funeral. He needed to see his mother and sister, and when he got home he knew he had to do something. His mother hadn't quite forgiven him yet. She had him walking on eggshells, so he had turned to his sister.

He should have known it wouldn't be that easy. She remembered him, but he realized he did not know her anymore. Gone was the little eight-year-old child he'd left behind, a young woman in her place. No longer was she playing with toys, and no longer did she trust him. She disregarded almost everything he said. It was then he realized just how dire it was he acclimate to his new role in the family, and do the best he could to move everything forward.

Yes, Kael had gone back to his house and expected to speak with his sister. He had tread up the steps and pushed aside the curtain. He had every intention of going up the ramp and trying to make peace when something very odd caught his line of sight.

For some reason, there was a night elf in his house. A night elf making his way to – it looked like – his sister's room.

/*\

Thaellas was running through the forest, barely dodging holy magic as he made his escape. He couldn't summon a mount – standing still was not an option right now – and in his panic he had gotten lost. He prayed that Madrii had made it to camp with the girl. She might not be able to make portals, but she was fast. She was taller, had longer legs, and her hooves made it easier for her to climb hills and the like. No, she would be fine but right now he wasn't.

He just barely ducked out of the way and watched a spell explode the bark of a nearby tree. He could only image what might have happened if it had hit him. He ducked and dodged and took complicated paths around boulders, but ultimately it wasn't enough. The simple truth was that the blood elves knew these woods far better than he did. If he tried to make a beeline for the camp, they would follow and they would slaughter everyone.

In a last ditch attempt to escape, he slid to a halt and faced the man and woman before him, now approaching him a little slower as he notched an arrow.

The male leered at him and shouted something in Thalassian. Thaellas assumed it was an insult, but he wasn't too inclined to care. He was far more concerned about the woman, who glared at him and spoke in a low, emphatic voice. He had no idea what she was saying, but he could guess.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I have no idea what either of you are saying." The woman sniffed.

"I asked you," she said in perfect Darnassian, "where have you taken my daughter?" The night elf cocked his head.

"You speak Darnassian." He stated.

"Answer the question!" She shouted. "Or you'll have a fate far worse than death to deal with." He shook his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The woman did not respond. She screamed and threw what looked like a fireball. He easily dodged and cast his own spell. He'd managed to stall them long enough that he could regain some of his focus, and he took the opportunity to call down a basilisk.

He took the opportunity to run while they were distracted.

/*\

Madrii had put the girl down the ground, placing the backpack beneath her head like a pillow. Her breathing was even, and her body relaxed. So far it didn't look like there were any adverse effects. The potion had worked perfectly. The draenei sighed and retreated to her tent. She wanted to make sure her husband was okay.

When she peeked inside, she saw that he too was asleep. She silently crept up to his side and removed the cloth shirt.

She smiled when she saw that the bandages were not bloody this time. There had been a very limited amount of surgical thread, and the fishing line they had was nowhere near clean enough. Derul was using minor healing spells on himself, but he simply did not have the strength right now to heal himself fully. She sighed and replaced the cloth. The wound was healing, and he wasn't in pain. At the moment, that was the best she could hope for.

Upon leaving the tent she found Holly inspecting the elf.

"She's tiny, ain't she?" She mused aloud. "I mean, she's bigger than me, but smaller than everyone else."

"That she is." Madrii said. "She looks so young. I dread to think what Pitch would have done to her." The gnome turned.

"I thought you guys didn't like blood elves. Aren't they currently invading Azuremyst?" Holly inquired. Madrii nodded.

"They are, but she is not. She has done nothing to us, she's barely an adult. I wish no harm on her." The taller woman said.

"I agree, but I wouldn't say anything like that while we're in Gilneas. The Forsaken have destroyed so much, and they're headed by an undead elf. It's gonna be dangerous for her." Holly responded. The draenei shrugged.

"She is innocent. That is all I care about."

"Would your husband agree?" Holly idly wondered.

"I think I know my husband better than you." Madrii said, narrowing her eyes. The gnome blinked.

"It was just a thought." She defended. Madrii shook her head, pushing a few stray hairs from her eyes.

"My apologies. I am nervous. When I left, the girl's family had returned. Thaellas was distracting them while I escaped. Now, he's late."

"I wouldn't be worried. Thaellas might be a dolt on occasion but he isn't stupid. He'll make it back." Holly stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, throwing another bit of driftwood into the fire. Dusk had finally turned to night, and the gnome had prepared the mounts for departure. They stood to the side, at the ready. All the tents but the one Derul slept in had been packed up, and the fire was small enough that it would take no time at all to put out.

Yes, everything was ready to go. However as Madrii stared into the forest, looking for any sign of her companion, she got nervous. They could not leave without Thaellas. He was, after all, the leader of this mission.

 **/*\**

 **Hey! If you got this far in the story, maybe, idk, leave a review? Or don't. I can't tell you how to live your life.**

 **-Statyck**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello. There's not really a purpose to any of these writers notes. It just looks super blank if there's nothing on top of the page. So yeah. Hi.**

 **-Statyck**

 **/*\**

As a hunter, Thaellas was not unused to running. In fact, he was fairly fast. In training he could beat every other hunter in any race. He always caught things the quickest, and his endurance reigned supreme.

That being said, he'd never had an enemy keep up with him for this long. The basilisk had allowed him to hide long enough to evade one of his pursuers and send a message back to camp. He was fortunate that he was actually in a guild with Holly, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to do anything at all. Telepathic mind links could be incredibly inconvenient, but today they could very well save his friends as well as get them home safely.

It was a good thing that Holly had stayed at the camp. Madrii and Derul were freelance mercenaries. Before this mission he'd never met them. They puzzled him. Derul was a powerful paladin, but at the same age Madrii was only just beginning to learn magic it seemed. All he truly knew about them was that they seemed like good people.

But 'seemed' wasn't enough. That was why Madrii had come with him instead of the gnome, just in case she decided she was better off taking off with her wounded husband and all the supplies.

He dodged another flame and swung around a tree. He should have been smarter about this, found another person to provide backup. He never should have tried this alone with a stranger. He should've at least sent for his cousin.

Wait.

He still could.

/*\

"Talyn," the barmaid whined, "stop teasing me."

"Hmm, no." He whispered. In the darkness of a private room and perched atop the woman in question he continued drifting his fingers over her skin, her neck, her shoulders, her hips, but he went no further. He was always very meticulous about these matters. He wanted to touch her, but at the moment had no interest in pushing much further. Her reactions were awfully entertaining. Heaving chest, heavy breathing, and the sounds she made were rather delightful. She panted and sighed and moaned in delight as his fingers stroked and pinched and lightly scratched. He was quite content with his current situation and would do as he liked at his own pace. That is, until she tried a different kind of protest.

She began to growl in aggravation, and tried to forcibly pull him down on top of her. She was making it very plain: he was not catering to _her_ desires. Though she was his favorite, he found her far too impatient.

Just as she jolted up, hands out for his neck, he jumped back. He shoved her onto the mattress from the side, leaving her pinned face-down on the bed. Her hands flailed, and Talyn leaned over her.

"I said no." He murmured, lightly nipping her ear. She huffed and stilled. That was better. Sometimes playing rough was fun but right now he wanted submission, to be gentle. _Now the fun part begins._ He thought triumphantly, gripping her waist and allowing himself to buck into her backside. She hummed in approval and lightly lifted her hips for him. Yes, it was going to be _very_ fun. The anticipation had reached its peak and the man was ready to start stripping when the worst possible thing happened.

One of his telepathic links went off, and unfortunately he couldn't ignore it. He played with the idea as he listened, but ultimately it was a no-go. If Talyn didn't intervene, the idiot wouldn't survive. He sighed and grumbled to himself, leaning his forehead on the barmaid's shoulder. Things had just been getting good too.

"What's wrong?" She asked frowning.

"Someone is trying to contact me." He muttered.

"Someone from the guild?" She said.

"Yes."

"Is it important?"

"If I don't go, he could very well die." She huffed, but didn't move.

"Go then. I'll refund half the coin." She grumbled. Talyn shook his head, sitting up.

"No, keep it. You always accommodate my wishes, so I don't mind paying you."

"So generous…." She lilted. He only grunted and kissed her temple before dismounting the bed. He picked up his cloak and satchel, and placed the woman's discarded clothing on the covers beside her. He lit a lamp and moved to the window, parting the blinds just a tad. Raindrops spattered the glass, and he couldn't help but think he should've been in the warm bed with the nude woman behind him rather than go out into the brewing storm and ice cold rain. He turned to the door and said his farewell.

"Goodbye Elizabeth, it was fun while it lasted."

/*\

Madrii stared at Holly incredulously.

"What are you doing?" The draenei squeaked.

"Thaellas contacted me. He said he lost one of them, but the mother is still hot on his tail. Apparently she didn't take too kindly to having her daughter kidnapped." Madrii snorted.

"Who would've thought?" She drawled. "This was a bad idea. We can't leave without him! He helped us!" The gnome stared up at the eight-foot-tall goat woman.

"And I told you, Thaellas is not stupid. A little brash on occasion, but not stupid. He wouldn't have made it this far if he was." Holly placed another supply bag on the back of her felsteed. "His instructions were clear: Take the girl and head for Gilneas."

Madrii crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Thaellas was a good man, she could see that, but he was currently facing down an opponent who was just as powerful as she was angry. He was just one person, and she knew that woman would not stop until she got her child back.

"Trust me." Holly insisted, observing the look on the other woman's face. "Thaellas will be fine. That's one of his advantages, everyone always thinks he'll lose."

/*\

Thaellas was shooting arrows and swearing to himself. He'd run out of energy. He couldn't run anymore. He'd turned, panting and notching arrows. He had to hand it to the elf: she was good. She was not letting him go, and he could only run in circles around the woods for so long.

Night had fallen, yet the sky was still bright. A full moon glowed as strongly as daytime, and bathed the forest in soft blue light. The stars glittered like diamonds, and lynxes and dragonkin alike wandered through the copious trees.

"You know," Thaellas said conversationally, "this place is actually kind of nice."

"Then I suppose you'll be happy to die here." The woman responded, sword in hand. She had yet to rush him. Intriguing, considering she'd just been trying to murder him for the past hour.

"I don't know about that." The night elf responded. "This entire scheme was hatched from desperation. I just want to go home."

"You and your friends, you mean. I know someone else made off with Lilliya. Where is she?" Thaellas shrugged.

"I don't know. I ordered a guild member to take her away." The womans knuckles whitened as she gripped her sword tighter. She breathed deeply and exhaled.

"What is it that you want?" She snarled. Thaellas considered her, tilting his head.

"Gold." He said. The woman sighed.

"Of course. Gold. How much do you need?" She asked.

"Twenty thousand pieces."

"Done. Now bring her back."

"How am I to know you won't just kill me?" Thaellas prodded.

"You don't." She growled.

Thaellas only smiled. He made his demands and explained his conditions. He reassured the woman that her daughter would remain safe.

"How am I to know you won't sell her?" The woman asked. She had calmed down enough that Thaellas could detect the faint hint of concern in her voice. His jaw clenched. He wanted to tell her that he and his group would never do such a thing. He wanted to tell her that he just needed the gold to pay his friends and go home. He wanted to reassure her that no harm would come to her daughter, but he knew better.

"You don't." He responded. "But rest assured, up until the deadline we will take very good care of her. Not a hair on her head will be harmed if you deliver."

"And if I don't?"

"Then she goes to the highest bidder." Thaellas shrugged and stared at the woman intently. Suddenly she smiled.

"Well I suppose I should thank you, kal'dorei. Now that I know where my daughter will be, I can dispose of you properly." And with a high-pitched war cry, she threw another fireball – judgement, he thought the spell was called – and charged.

 _Elune, save me._

/*\

Talyn heard the battle long before he saw it. He heard the woman shrieking, and he heard his moron of a cousin swearing. He heard the clash of metal against rock and wood, and he smelled the blood from miles away.

He rushed in the direction of the noise, and once he made it to the clearing he took a moment to observe what was going on. Thaellas had a nasty gash in his side, and he was desperately jumping out of the way as the woman slashed and tore at him with a wicked looking blade. He saw one of the strange Eversong dragon creatures attacking the woman, as well as a large lynx chasing and slashing at her.

He yawned and cast away his camouflage. His cat form would be useless right now. Needless to say, the blood elf was shocked when an enormous collared bear tackled her from behind.

/*\

Madrii had to be very careful not to let the sleeping blood elf fall off the elekk. Right now she couldn't properly ride and by some miracle Madrii was managing to keep the girl stable, keep an eye on her husband, and keep both hands on the reigns.

"Madrii? Do you want me to take the elf?" Holly asked. The draenei shook her head.

"No. I've got her, and if I try to move her this all falls apart."

"Are you sure?" Holly said. Madrii nodded.

"Positive. This is fine. We do not have anything to truly worry about until she wakes."

"And what do you think will happen when she regains consciousness?"

"I cannot claim to know. However I can tell you this: if she wakes and becomes frightened, we cannot allow her near the other inhabitants of Gilneas." Madrii said. Holly sighed.

"Much as I want a bed, I can't say I disagree. So we're going to be camping just one more night?"

"If she reacts well, yes."

"If she doesn't?" Holly asked. Madrii snorted.

"Then it's going to be more like two."

/*\

Talyn and Thaellas rode on the backs of their nightsabers out of Eversong and through the Ghostlands. Talyn had demanded answers, and Thaellas was in no position to refuse.

"How could you think that was a good idea?!" Talyn scolded. "Seriously? Captain Pitch? Don't you know who that is?"

"Evidently I didn't! But now I do. We chased him off into Eversong. He's by himself and without his pistol. I don't think he'll last too long." Thaellas retorted.

"That's not enough! You were going to kidnap a girl for a suspected elf trafficker!"

"And when we found out what he was going to do with her, we beat his ass!"

Talyn pulled on his reigns and whirled on Thaellas.

"And then you proceeded to kidnap the poor woman anyways."

"What was I supposed to do Talyn? I went with Pitch because I desperately needed the gold. When his intentions came to light we got rid of him, but by then the damage was done. With the exception of maybe Holly, none of us have enough coin to get home and we had no other way of making any more gold." Talyn sighed, lightly kicking the giant cat and turning to ride alongside his cousin. They were approaching a town, so Thaellas led his cousin off the main road around.

"Just…stop talking. Take me to the elf girl so I can make sure your mystery potion didn't actually kill her." Talyn bit.

"We didn't hurt her."

"Says the man who drugged her with an alchemy experiment."

/*\

Talyn was angry, and he felt he had the right to be. He'd been pulled away from a magnificent woman whom he hadn't seen in what felt like eons. He then had to go save his moronic cousin from getting himself killed by an enraged elf-duchess. Now, he was being led back to a camp in Gilneas, in the freezing rain, to make sure that the idiot hadn't accidentally murdered his next paycheck. The stars were just beginning to fade from the sky when Thaellas led them off the main road into the depths of Silverpine Forest.

Trekking further into the woods, Talyn spied a flash of light. Upon getting a bit closer he found a draenei couple and a gnome sitting around a small fire. The man was nursing a serious side wound, and the woman was preparing something in a skillet. Finally, the gnome was just sitting there, anxiously glancing back and forth from the fire to one of the tents. Talyn inclined his head.

"Hello again Holly. I never would have expected to see you going along with something like this." The druid said. Holly shrugged.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." She said. "What about you Talyn, hmm? What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Actually, I was in Gilneas on business. I had to deliver a few reports from the Cenarion Circle to a worgen general."

"That sounds interesting."

"It is, but unfortunately I can't tell you any more than that. Druids must stay true to their secrets." He grinned.

"Can't blame me for trying." The gnome innocently chimed. "Anyways, I take it you're curious about the newest member of the group?"

"I thought she was a prisoner?" Talyn said, an eyebrow raised.

"Technically yeah, but I don't plan on shackling her to a tree or the like. She never did anything to me. Through that tent. Be careful though. If she wakes and finds a night elf in her face, she might attack you." Holly warned. Talyn shot a sideways glance at Thaellas.

"I thought you said your potion was going to work for a whole day? Shouldn't that mean she won't wake until this evening?" Thaellas shrugged.

"The potion had started to weaken by the time we got it to the house. For all I know she could be awake right now."

"She isn't." A new voice pitched in. Talyn turned his head to see the draenei woman staring up at him. She was quite pretty. High cheekbones, pale azure skin, delicately curving horns, boartails: yes, she was lovely. _Pity she's draenei. I learned my lesson last time._

"Hello," he said, "I don't think we've been introduced yet. Talyn." He held out his hand, but she only arched an eyebrow.

"Madrii," she responded, "and again: the little girl still sleeps." Talyn shot an alarmed look at his cousin. He knew the girl was young, but just how young?

"No, no." Thaellas said, almost as if reading his mind. "She's not a child. She is fully grown."

"She is little to me." Madrii said.

" _Everyone_ is little to you." Holly retorted. Madrii shrugged, poking at the pan with a fork.

"All the same: she has barely exited girlhood." She pointed her fork at the ringleader. "You'd better make this quick Thaellas, I don't want to traumatize this girl any more than I have to."

/*\

Lilliya felt like her head was going to explode. She could feel pressure just at the top of her nose between her eyebrows. It was the kind of ache that no amount of massage would fix, and her arms felt heavier than lead. Just twitching her fingers felt like a monumental task, and her legs stung with pins and needles. She needed medicine, and she was in no condition to go retrieve it from town.

She groaned in pain, and a voice sounded from above her. She could barely make out the words through the ringing in her ears, but it sounded like…Common?

"Hey." The voice said. "Hey wake up. Open your eyes."

Lilliya slowly turned her head away and forced her parched lips to separate.

"Go 'way Kael." She responded in Thalassian. "Don't feel good."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand a word you're saying." The voice said, in Common again. She groaned.

"I think I'm sick, Kael," she whispered, switching the language, "leave me alone." The voice said something else, but it was nothing she recognized. Then she felt fingers on her face, turning her chin. She hissed at the movement and opened her eyes, finding her vision was as hazy as her mind. A man stood before her and though she couldn't quite make out the finer details of his face, it was obvious.

"Wait a minute," she murmured, "you aren't Kael."

"No, no I'm not." He answered, and he wasn't lying. For starters, Kael was not blue. This man had skin the shade of pale periwinkle flowers. His hair hung down his shoulders in an untamed violet mess. His eyes glowed gold instead of green, and her brother would never have been caught dead wearing such tight leathers. No, this was not her brother. This was a night elf.

For a moment Lilliya forgot her perpetual exhaustion. She reached out a finger, tapping the tip of his nose. She should be afraid of him. He was a night elf, and yet she found herself trailing her finger down his nose and over his cheekbone, mapping his features. It had been a long time since she'd seen a kal'dorei up close. Her index finger trailed up over his eyebrow, down his cheek and neck until she caught notice of the staff on his back. A sense of recognition pinged in the back of her mind, and she thought she could guess why. Strangely enough he hadn't moved, and let her perform her invasive inspection peacefully. He stared down at her, his face a mask, and did not retaliate.

"You're a druid." She said.

"I am." He responded slowly. She lowered her hand back to her side.

"Can you fix me? Something's wrong, wrong with my body. Everything hurts." She whimpered. He raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I am here to heal you?" He asked. She sighed, letting her eyes close a moment more.

"I hoped. If you were going to kill me, you would've done it by now." She opened her gaze to her new surroundings. Instead of pale brick walls and flowing azure veils, she was met with the sight of shoddy wooden foundations and indigo cloth flapping in the breeze.

"Fair point." The man responded.

"You took me from my house." She said. "Why?"

"You're being held for ransom."

"By you?"

"By my cousin."

For a moment Lilliya said nothing. Her drugged mind was still processing the fact that she'd been kidnapped. She was aware of the fact, of course, but the terror and panic hadn't quite set in just yet. She breathed deeply and let herself relax back into the cot. Even if she was a little out of it, she knew to be at least a bit angry.

"Tell him to go fuck himself." She growled. To her mild surprise the night elf chuckled.

"Will do. But before that, I should heal you a little."

"I thought you said that wasn't what you were here for." She mumbled back. He stood up and muttered an incantation and his hands glowed green. He placed one just below her neck and the other on her stomach before he answered.

"No, I just asked what made you think so." She only hummed in response. The spell corroded the pain, bit by bit. The throbbing in her arms and legs dulled and the light nausea receded. The blood elf sighed in relief and found the will to curl up on her side, into a more comfortable position.

"Th'nk you." She murmured, sleep starting to clog her voice. Now that she wasn't preoccupied with the aching in her muscles, the sleepiness had come back. The night elf bent down to eye level with her.

"No problem." He then held up a leather cask. "Drink some water and get some more rest now."

She gladly listened. She took a long draw from the container and let her eyes slip closed.

 **/*\**

 **This chapter came out okay I think. Maybe.**

 **-Statyck**


	5. Chapter 5

**A;sdkfaogib;odbva;dkfghaodfbgadkfbv**

 **/*\**

Thaellas was waiting outside, staring at the fire. Talyn had gone to do his work, and Thaellas was to sit and wait for his diagnosis. It was commonly thought that druids were calm and collected by nature, and if that was true then Talyn was the exception. That particular druid was far too easily angered and found himself to be fairly destructive on occasion. He was working on it, he had gotten a little better, but still. It was no surprise to Thaellas that his cousin might be irate, but this time he'd brought up a good point.

Potions could be tricky, especially when they weren't using something approved by the Academy of Alchemy – whatever the official title was. Potions could do a lot of harm if made incorrectly, and death was not the worst thing on the list. He'd heard stories of potion-borne disease. He'd heard of it causing physical deformities. He'd even heard a story where a potion made a human man grow tentacles from his face and the condition was irreversible.

He knew all this, and he had still chosen this path. He could have found a better way. He knew that. They could have waited for Derul to heal, to fight. They could have waited and scouted the woods some more. They could have asked Holly if she might have some connections down in Dun Morogh. All of those would have been viable options, but Thaellas was so tired. He wanted to go home, and there had already been a set plan. It would be fast, it would be efficient, and he could leave the Eastern Kingdoms _that_ much faster.

Somehow it had never occurred to him to ask Madrii how skilled she was in the art of potion-making. He hadn't bothered to wonder if her skills were advanced enough to take on a task of this size. If something happened to the elf then everything was ruined. If she died or ended up horribly marred, the guilt would never assuage.

Talyn had walked into the tent with grace but his steps were heavy, and his fists remained clenched. The cloth fluttered behind him in the breeze, but no one else dared to step forward. It was best to let the druid do his examination as he liked: alone and in peace.

Minutes felt like hours, and still nothing had happened. Was everything alright? Surely if she was dead, Talyn would have come out and told him? Then Thaellas heard it. There was a faint sound, a whimper it sounded like, and Talyn asked the girl a question. Her voice sounded groggy, and to his credit the druid was being very nice. The girl's tone did not denote anger or terror. She sounded mildly confused and entirely exhausted.

The conversation continued, but Thaellas couldn't make out a single word. It was only when Talyn returned that Thaellas stepped forward. The druid held a palm up and everything stopped.

"She's alive, and she will recover." The relief was almost tangible. The tension in the camp melted away, Madrii relaxed her shoulders and the gnome let herself smile. Derul sighed and stood up.

"Will she need any more healing?" He asked. Talyn shook his head.

"You just worry about healing yourself. For the rest of the trip I'll be keeping an eye on her." The elf responded.

"You plan on staying then?" Thaellas asked. "You know I can't afford to give you part of the money right?"

"Oh don't worry, I ask for nothing." Talyn said. "But rest assured, when we get back to Teldrassil, Aunt Nylaei is going to hear all about this."

"Really? You're going to tell mom?" Thaellas growled.

"Absolutely. But then, if you're willing to be a little generous with your own share of money I might be willing to let this slide." Talyn lilted, leaning against a nearby tree.

"Do you honestly think that's an actual threat? We aren't five anymore Talyn. The money is mine." Thaellas snorted, moving to throw a bucket of water over the fire.

"I think that Nylaei Thunderstorm is one of Tyrande Whisperwind's most trusted war generals. I think she deeply believes in the idea of protecting the innocent, and I think she will not take too kindly to it when she hears that her son kidnapped a crimeless woman for his own selfish gain."

"Are you hear to heal the girl or lecture me on morality? Because if it's the latter you can leave." Thaellas bit.

"I assure you cousin, I'm not going anywhere. You made it clear you needed me, and you ruined my night with Elizabeth Morningstride. You're stuck with me until we make it back to Stormwind."

"Stormwind?" Madrii questioned. "We can't go to Stormwind, they'll kill her! Besides, aren't we meant to be meeting the mother here in one week?" She continued. Talyn raised an eyebrow at Thaellas.

"You didn't tell her?" Thaellas said nothing. "Then I guess I will. Thaellas told her to meet him in the abandoned Gilneas City with the gold. Naturally she will assume we are all in the area and cast out search parties, so instead of Gilneas we're going to hole up in Stormwind until the day we exchange her for the ransom."

"Oh that's a brilliant idea Talyn." Holly griped. "Very tactical, but there's just one problem – _we have no gold._ In fact, we've discussed this several times now. We can't afford a glass of milk in Stormwind, forget a week at an inn."

"Don't worry about that. I'll foot the bill." The druid said. "Unlike my cousin over here, I know how to handle money. I can afford to assist you, just this once." Thaellas whirled, throwing his arms out.

"What do you want Talyn? To be smug? If sarcasm is all you have to offer, _you can go_. We can manage perfectly fine without you."

"On the contrary, you can't. You need a healer, and you need one now. Not just for the girl, but for your own wound as well." For a second all fell silent.

"You're hurt too?" Madrii asked, looking to the hunter. He huffed.

"Not badly. Talyn made sure of it." He muttered. Talyn opened his mouth to speak, and was interrupted by a different voice.

"And yet I don't think that's why you want to be here." Derul intervened. "What are your intentions, boy?"

"I have none." The druid snapped. "Whether you want me or not I'm staying. Primarily because if that girl's family decides they want Thaellas's head on a pike there is no way he's going to be able to take them by himself."

"He's got us." Holly piped up.

"They'll have reinforcements. If our family finds out that I just left him, there'll be hell for me to pay."

"So it's really not about me or us needing a healer." Thaellas quipped. "You're just trying to save your own skin in the eyes of our house. Thanks." Talyn fell silent and glared.

"The girl had a message for you." He finally said. Thaellas raised an eyebrow.

"Which was…?"

"She said you can go fuck yourself." And with that, he shifted into a large cat and bounded off into the woods.

/*\

Holly was an extremely confrontational person. She knew this about herself, and she was proud of it. Being a gnome, she was much smaller than just about everyone else around her. She was often struck by the feeling that she was surrounded by giants, and very often needed to think of ways to make people see her. She was almost always overlooked, for the simple fact that people needed to look so far down just to make eye contact with her. If she wanted to be heard, she had to be loud and she absolutely was. If she earned a piece of silver for each time someone told her to shut up, she'd be set for life. Right now, however, things were a little different.

After Talyn's dramatic departure the camp quickly dissolved into an argument. Derul did not trust the druid, and Madrii demanded to know the details regarding Stormwind. Thaellas was doing his best to defend his rogue family member, and explain to Madrii that the plan was still a little half-baked. Yet somehow through all this, Holly still heard the faint whimpering.

Entirely unnoticed, she strutted over to the tent and found her newest companion shivering. Upon placing her tiny hand on the girl's forehead, she found that she was positively burning.

"Poor thing." The gnome muttered to herself. She looked around for anything that would help, when her eyes fell on a spare blanket. _Well,_ she thought, _mum always did say the body knows how to take care of itself._ And so Holly retrieved the blanket and draped it over the slender form in the cot. It took a second for the shaking to stop, but finally the girl looked to be a bit more comfortable. The gnome was about to turn around and leave, when a cough sounded.

The elf had opened her eyes, the fel green shining with fever. Holly had seen her fair share of blood elves in the neutral cities. They were elegant and well-groomed, and their eyes held this ethereal sort of glow. They looked like imp eyes, but brighter and more controlled. Holly had assumed that, also like an imp, the glow was a sign of how much power the individual wielded yet the glow for this girl seemed quite dull. Instead of shining a bright shade of emerald, the green had faded into a sickly lime color. That couldn't be good.

"Who are you?" she inquired softly, staring at the gnome curiously.

"Name's Holly." The gnome cheerfully replied. "Yours?" The elf considered her for a moment before finally answering.

"Lilliya." The girl murmured, blinking. "Are you one of the people who kidnapped me?"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Holly said sheepishly. "How're you feeling?"

"Terrible." The girl croaked before squeezing her eyes shut. "This is a very odd dream. I've dreamed about the orc dungeons, and Icecrown, but I've never had a dream where I've been kidnapped." She rambled, before finally falling silent.

"Ah, no." Holly tried to tell her. "This isn't a dream, this is real. We are really holding you here for ransom…." But it was very apparent that Lilliya didn't hear her. The elf had fallen back asleep. The gnome sighed, and heard someone brush aside the tent flap.

Thaellas entered and stared at the warlock. His gaze shot to the elf, and the extra blanket around her, and turned away.

"So what did she have to say to you?" The hunter asked. Holly shrugged.

"She doesn't realize we've actually kidnapped her. She thinks she's dreaming." She said, dismayed. Thaellas sighed.

"The potion did a number on her. Why'd you give her the extra blanket?"

"She's running a terrible fever. She was shaking like a leaf. Figured if I let her get warm, she might be able to sweat out whatever's hurting her."

"Good decision. When she comes to she's probably going to be very angry."

"I don't doubt it. We're only prolonging the inevitable, if she's as powerful as that document implies we need to be prepared."

/*\

Derul had been placed into a fairly undesirable position. He couldn't fight, he could barely heal, and he was being overlooked by the rest of the company because he was wounded.

He didn't take too kindly to the fact that the mission had been executed while he'd been asleep. Thaellas had endangered his wife, harmed the elf girl, and then brought a druid with anger issues into the camp. He'd gotten hurt himself, and at this point Holly was just trying to keep the camp from falling apart. He'd noticed when she'd gone into the tent, and when Madrii had turned away from Thaellas in irritation he'd told the night elf that they needed a minute.

As soon as the hunter vanished into the tent with the gnome, he took his wife aside.

"Madrii," he murmured, "what's wrong?" Her eyes focused on him and she grimaced.

"You have to ask?" She growled. He shook his head.

"Vocalize it." He said. "Maybe it will make you feel a little better?" She crossed her arms and sighed.

"There is no gold. I cannot open portals, and if this goes wrong we have no way of returning home. Thaellas is a good man, he harbors good intentions I think, but he is not thinking any of this through. I am uneasy in regards to the druid boy. He expected us to listen to him without question, and I am worried he might retaliate." The woman fell silent and stared at a tree off to the side, chewing on her lower lip. Derul raised an eyebrow.

"But that's not it, is it? There's more." He stated. Madrii's eyes went back to him and she tilted her head.

"I'm not sure what you mean." She said. She'd seemed to calm down for the time being, but Derul was married to this woman. He knew her as well as he knew himself, and he knew for a fact that something else was bothering her. Yet with her puzzled expression and owlish gaze, she seemed entirely honest. The paladin sighed.

"Never mind." He said. "Listen, if things go bad we can leave. There will be more work in Stormwind, Goldshire, Dun Morogh even. It might not be high-paying work, but we will be able to make enough to get back to Azuremyst. Hey." He placed his fingers on her chin to keep her from looking away. "Everything will be fine, I promise. If the druid boy returns looking for a fight, I think Holly and Thaellas can take care of him. We have nothing to do with that." As soon as he finished speaking he doubled over, coughing. He shouldn't have forgotten his walking stick when he stood up. Madrii bent down and leaned him against a tree, lifting up his shirt to check his injury.

He'd pulled the stitches. He swore to himself as she informed him that she'd have to get Holly to redo them. The man grunted.

"No, no, it's fine. I can just use a healing spell." He insisted. Madrii raised an eyebrow.

"I think not. Wait here."

"But Madrii–"

"I said wait." And she said it with such conviction, such finality, that Derul knew there was no arguing with her.

/*\

Talyn couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so infuriated. He could have handled that better, he knew it, and he still fucked up completely.

It was her. He was sure of it. The potion had made her incredibly sick and fogged up her mind, so she hadn't recognized him, but it was definitely her. That, or the universe was screwing with him. He had to stay with this group, get them to do what he wanted. He at least had to stay long enough to speak to her. He'd managed to rationalize his way through it until Thaellas started yelling, though Talyn knew his own patronizingly sarcastic comments were partially to blame.

Talyn came to a halt in the middle of the forest, and plopped down at the base of a tree. He felt that the woods were the best place for thinking. It was just him and the trees, and absolutely nothing to interfere with his thoughts. Already he was starting to feel a little calmer, and he had to plot his next course of action.

First and foremost, he had to make peace with his cousin. He had to earn back Thaellas's trust, and more importantly he had to earn back _her_ trust. If he didn't, he'd lose his chance. He let her down once, and had no interest in doing so again.

He shouldn't have been there, that day up in Northrend. It had been all his fault, and she'd taken the fall for it.

/*\

Imra was not pleased. She marched through the gates of Silvermoon, and made her way to the Spire. Kael had insisted they meet with the Morninglights as well as some of his Forsaken friends in Undercity, and unfortunately she could see no way to refuse.

Imra had been so disappointed in Kael. When he left he never returned. He didn't visit or write or even have the decency to send a messenger to let her know he was even alive. For a time, she had been convinced that her firstborn had died so horribly that no one could identify him, or that he'd simply become a number in a military body count. It was a common occurrence, so families didn't always get the news.

Then her husband died, and out in the field no less. Imra had always had mixed feelings about her husband. He'd been beautiful, that was certain. With long gold hair and a swagger to his step, Zel'Themar Silverspell exuded the kind of confidence that all the sin'dorei found attractive. He was smart, and funny, and kind, and had the family's best interests at heart. He'd always, _always_ , done right by her and their children and he had been so proud of both Kael and Lilliya.

And yet she had never loved him, not romantically. It had been a set up by their parents, and though he had shown her tenderness and affection her reciprocation had never been sincere. She could honestly say that he'd been the closest she'd ever had to a 'best friend' but she had not loved him.

Now not only was Kael trying to do the same thing to Lilliya, but he was hell-bent on succeeding. Lilliya had been tricked into one meeting with this Vyir, and Kael had very conveniently kept it a secret until it was already done and Imra could do nothing about it.

Yes, she was very disappointed in Kael. Even if she had committed a crime in Northrend, even if the Lord Reagent insisted that no one was to know what happened, Lilliya was still Kael's sister. As the oldest and the brother, it was his duty to protect her. Not pawn her off to the first man who would take her.

 **/*\**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **-Statyck**


	6. Chapter 6

**A[osnva[odvnaoiesufpoasdhfklasdbvkagi**

 **/*\**

 _Why is it so cold?_ Lilliya thought to herself, pulling her blanket over her ears. _It's never this cold. Are we having rain?_ Upon opening her eyes, Lilliya was confronted by a very puzzling sight.

She was in a tent.

She sniffled and sneezed. She placed a hand on her forehead and her brows furrowed.

"Okay," she whispered aloud, "so I'm in a tent, and I've gotten sick." She looked around, trying to see if anyone else was present. Her memories were hazy. She had no idea how she'd gotten here, but she was on high alert. She couldn't recall the smaller details, but she knew: there were enemies here. Tentatively she stood on her feet and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, shuddering as a breeze blew its way into the small tent. She saw that her boots were sitting near the foot of the cot, and she slipped them on before stepping outside.

It was indeed raining, but this was not her home. The trees stood tall in dark shades of brown and green, rather than the vibrant golds and reds of Eversong foliage. There were no lynxes or dragonhawks wandering over the grass, but rather bears and foxes. Fog misted over the landscape, and it looked as if the other occupants of the camp were asleep. The remains from the campfire seemed old, and each of the other tents were tightly sealed closed. As Lilliya surveyed her surroundings she came to the conclusion that the camp belonged to a number of different people. The tents were all mismatched. There was a large white tent, squared in gnomish fashion. Another tent appeared square as well, but the embroidery along the edges of the walls plainly said draenei. The final tent was a design she was far too familiar with. Splayed out in a circle with a gaudy silver crescent adorning the top, it was obvious. Night elf. So she was dealing with three people at minimum.

A ragtag group of friends, looking to…she didn't know what they were looking to do. Her memories were fuzzy, but she distinctly recalled a pair of images. A gnome woman, and a male elf. The gnome had told Lilliya that she'd been kidnapped, by the gnome and her friends. Holly, she thought the name was.

 _I guess it wasn't a dream then._ Lilliya mused. _But how did they get me here? I know I did not fight with them…_

Experimentally, Lilliya tried to summon a small flame to her hand. To her disappointment it fizzled out very quickly. Unsure if it was the rain or her illness impeding her magic, she tried a different spell. She locked her eyes on a tree a fair distance away, and blinked.

Immediately the world around her shifted, and the tree was right in front of her face. She had been able to teleport, so that was a good sign, but she already felt immensely drained. She fell to her knees, trying to stave back the wave of nausea. How had that single, tiny spell managed to use up all of her energy?

As Lilliya took a second to mull over the issue the answer came to her. Of course. Her body was trying to heal the sickness. She couldn't use about ninety-nine percent of her mana because her blood was rerouting it towards the source of her illness. For the time being her magical skills would be strictly limited. There was no way she could transport herself back to Silvermoon like this. She gagged into the bushes, but nothing came up. She leaned against a tree, staring into the sky, letting the water soak her face.

Lilliya was capable of fighting. She'd had her fair share of hand-to-hand combat training, a mandatory requirement in the Horde, and was actually quite skilled with a staff. However she knew that wouldn't get her very far. In a world where people could throw fireballs from their hands and shapeshift into cats and bears, a glorified stick wouldn't do her much good.

But it would still be a start.

 _Okay, first order of business. Find a branch large enough to use as a weapon._ And so tying the blanket around her neck like a cloak, Lilliya set off on her own personal quest to find herself a not-so-glorified stick.

/*\

Thaellas could not remember the last time he felt so grateful. It was pure luck that he'd woken up just seconds before he heard the rustling. He waited several seconds before he heard a faint sound. Words. Words to a spell. He silently let his feet fall to the floor and grabbed his boots. He quickly dressed himself in warm underclothes and his favorite set of mail. He grabbed his bow and peeked outside.

The blood elf had woken up, and she was now sitting about twenty yards away from the camp. She looked as though she were retching into the bushes, and she finally relaxed back against a tree. She had swathed herself in the blanket Holly had given her, and she looked to be breathing heavily. Her brows furrowed into an expression that Thaellas could only describe as perplexed. Her confusion quickly morphed, and she stared out into the woods as she bit her lip.

As all this took place. Thaellas slowly crept forward. He dodged behind tents and trees, getting closer and closer as the elf wallowed in her sickness. Finally she stood up, and she looked like she was about to head out deeper into the forest. Thaellas notched an arrow, and spoke up.

"You shouldn't go out there." He stated softly. She whirled and threw her hands up, beginning to cast. The meager flames dissolved into nothing and she stared down at her fingers, betrayed. Thaellas took a step forwards, and as though she were entirely in sync with his movements, she took a step back. Her face glittered with fever and fear and Thaellas spoke again.

"Come back with me to the camp." He commanded. The girl stared at him with wide eyes. Did she not know Darnassian? That seemed unlikely. She'd managed to carry on a conversation with Talyn and Holly. Perhaps she knew Common? He couldn't be sure. Talyn and Holly were good with languages. They could speak about five each. They could have been conversing with her in Thalassian or Orcish. Even if she could, his Common was absolutely awful. He never got the syllables right and his accent was so thick that even a native speaker couldn't make out a word he said. The language barrier was too wide. Talking would get him nowhere, simply because she wouldn't be able to understand him. So he tried something else. Keeping his eyes steadily affixed to her face, he used his bow to gesture to the camp. Sticking to his own tongue, he spoke.

"Go." He tried. A flash of realization crossed her face, and it was soon replaced with a rage so potent that Thaellas almost wanted to run. Almost. She violently shook her head no, and backed up a step more. The night elf inwardly groaned. He should have anticipated this. There was no way she'd make this easy. Blood elves weren't exactly known for being timid.

It was evident that she wasn't going to go down without a fight, but she was a mage. Without her magic there wasn't much she could do, especially against someone a good two heads taller than her. Thaellas put away his arrow and slung his bow across his shoulder. He approached, backing her up into a tree. As soon as moved to throw her over his shoulder, he saw something from the corner of his eye. Before he could defend himself something rammed itself into the side of his head, causing pain to erupt in his left temple. He jumped away, dazed and smarting, and stared at the girl in front of him. With one hand she held the blanket around her shoulders. With the other she was holding a sturdy-looking branch, and she had hit him with it.

She held it out in front of her and slinked around the tree. She kept a careful eye on Thaellas, and slowly continued her retreat, putting distance between them. He could feel his eyes narrow. His hands itched to touch the bow. To pull back the arrow and let it sink into her shoulder. No way would she fight back then.

But he couldn't do that. If she was nursing one such wound, her relatives would have him murdered. Horribly. He had no interest in finding out if the rumors about Undercity were true.

He took a deep breath, and stepped forward again. She started backing up faster, and in her panic tripped. She held on to her stick, and pointed it at the night elf as he stood above her. For a moment he hesitated. She was so tiny and she was very plainly sick. In spite of his more volatile instincts, he didn't actually want to hurt her. Yet given the situation it would be very difficult not to.

Thaellas grabbed the stick and pulled. She refused to let go, and was pulled upwards with it. She hissed and released her makeshift weapon when the bark scraped the skin on her hands. He took the opportunity to act. He threw the branch away and took hold of her wrists. He yanked her closer and hauled her over his shoulder, as originally planned, and strutted back into the direction of the camp.

She pounded on his back with her tiny fists. He could barely feel it. He had her ankles solidly clasped in one hand, and he brought her into his own tent. He set her down on the cot, and told his pet to keep an eye on her while he dug through his bag.

The dragonhawk – as he learned it was called – looked up expectantly, and the fins on its face quickly perked when it caught sight of the blood elf. Her kind worked very closely with these animals, so it wasn't unreasonable for the creature to appear this delighted to see something familiar. It chirped softly and moved forwards, inspecting the new arrival. Interestingly enough through all this, the girl hadn't made a single sound. He would have expected her to be screaming and swearing and exceedingly loud, but nothing. He found what he needed and faced her. She stared up at him with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted. She looked absolutely terrified.

 _This is going to be a long day._ He thought.

/*\

Lilliya wanted to shriek and curse and cry, all at the same time. It had been nothing for the night elf to overpower her. She did her best to defend herself, but her best had been shamefully pathetic. The confrontation itself had been rather pitiful, like a kitten trying to pick a fight with a bear. It just hadn't gone in her favor.

And now the bear had dragged her back into his den. She had screamed the whole way to the camp, but it had been a silent scream. The scream of one whose vocal chords were petrified, but they wanted to try expressing their anguish anyways.

He'd sat her down on his bed, tossing the soiled blanket to the corner. Instead of hurting her, as she'd been braced for, he took his own blanket from the foot of the cot and draped it over her head. Lilliya wrinkled her nose slightly – it smelled a little odd – but it was warm. She bit her lip and glared apprehensively at her captor. _What is he doing?_ She wondered, as something else caught her eye.

The blood elf watched as the man's pet crept forward. Lilliya was not unfamiliar with dragonhawks. She had a few hatchlings herself. They were much smaller than this one, but they were beautifully fierce in their own ways. They were living proof that size didn't matter.

The creature approached even closer and crawled into her lap. It rested its triangular head on her knee, and its wispy wings stretched across her legs. A friendly hunters pet, to be sure, but it had conveniently placed itself. She would not be able to stand back up without disturbing it. Lilliya lightly scratched behind the spines on its head and the dragonhawk seemed to sigh in content.

The night elf, in contrast, appeared rather annoyed. He grumbled to himself and dug around in his pack. He'd spoken to her in what she assumed was Darnassian, and not knowing the language herself she hadn't done what he wanted. Not that she'd have cooperated anyways.

 _Alright._ Lilliya thought to herself. _So it's four people, not three._ He definitely wasn't the night elf she had seen before. This man's skin was the same shade of blue, but that was where the similarities ended. The other man was a druid where this one was plainly a hunter. His shoulders were just a bit broader and he wore less form-fitting mail, rather than leather. His hair hung in long silver locks, and pale stubble decorated his jaw.

Soon he returned bearing a small white ball. He gingerly grasped her fingers and started wrapping the bandages over the scrapes. He performed the task stiffly, barely touching her. He almost seemed like he was afraid of breaking her. She inwardly huffed.

 _He's awfully nice for a warden._ She thought bitterly. _Perhaps he's scared of what mother or Kael will do if they find out I've been injured. He'd be smart to fear my family._ She decided to try talking to him. She'd spoken with the other elf and the gnome after all. It wasn't like her knowledge of Common was a secret.

"What is your name?" She tried. He froze, eyes shooting to her face. He cleared his throat.

"Thaellas." He responded. He resumed his task and said nothing more. Lilliya raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want with me, Thaellas?" She pushed. He glared at her and tied the knot in the bandage. He sighed.

"Common…not good." He answered, his thick accent almost marring the words. Oh, so he could understand Common, but not speak it? That was a new one. She nodded slowly.

"Then why not get one of your friends? They spoke Common just fine." His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. _Oh._ She mused. _He didn't like that._ Without another word he stood up and shoved his way out of the tent. He wasn't worried she'd escape, no. Not only had Lilliya proved her incompetence in combat, but his pet – though sweet – was guarding her.

/*\

Holly was greatly displeased with the rudeness of her awakening. Thaellas, the brute, had literally grabbed the edge of her sleeping mat and rolled her onto the freezing ground below. She shrieked in outrage and prepared to sic her imp on him when she saw his face. Oh no.

It was _that_ face. The face where his forehead had wrinkled, his brows were all scrunched, and his mouth was screwed up in a nasty scowl. His arms were crossed and he glared down at her like she was the source of every injustice in the world.

"And what would be the problem today, hmm?" She snarled.

"Our guest is awake, and as you know, she speaks Common." Thaellas growled. Holly blinked, then crossed her arms and smirked.

"And as we all know, your Common is positively dreadful." She quipped. "You know, this could be good practice Thaellas. One of these days your luck will run out, and you're going to run into someone who doesn't know shit about Darnassian or Draenei."

"I can speak Gnomish." He pouted. Holly snorted, and her lilac pigtails bounced as she made her way out of the tent.

"Not well."

/*\

When Talyn had finally calmed down enough, he returned to camp. The longer and longer he remained in the Gilnean forests, the more and more he wanted to go back to Stormwind. While Elwynn was just as cold and rainy as Gilneas, it wasn't ravaged by war. There were buildings, there were inns, and more importantly, there were people who knew this woman there.

That blood elf – if she was even the same person – would be perfectly safe in Stormwind, contrary to what Thaellas and his friends thought. He knew things they didn't, things they wouldn't be allowed to know until they were in his territory. At least, most of them. He still needed to figure out what he'd do if he got shot down.

He'd prepared a letter to Edith Lionheart, the owner of a secret underground inn where they welcomed refugees from both Alliance and Horde. Her guests stayed until they managed to secure safe passage to neutral territory. The room fee was cheap and there were several occupants of the Hollow Ghost who owed him favors. It was the perfect place to hide.

Shaking the water droplets out of his fur, Talyn shifted back into his elven form and approached carefully. No one was visible, and the rain had rendered the fire pit unusable. If it wasn't for the soft sound of a pair of female voices emanating from Thaellas's tent, he'd have thought everyone to be asleep. Talyn loudly stepped in that direction, and stopped just outside the entrance. The voices quieted and for a moment time froze.

Thaellas peeked out the flap and stared at Talyn.

"So you returned?" He questioned.

"I did." Talyn answered. "I wanted to offer my apologies. My words and actions were out of line. May I request to speak with you out here, for just a moment?" Thaellas tilted his head, considering. Talyn held his breath and waited.

If he was going to pull this off, he would need Thaellas's cooperation.

 **/*\**

 **Hope you liked that!**

 **-Statyck**


	7. Chapter 7

**You don't know what fear is until you've had the cat trip you while you're carrying your laptop.**

 **/*\**

"You want to what?" Thaellas asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

"I know how it sounds," Talyn responded, "but I swear it's her."

Thaellas shook his head and turned away, crossing his arms and staring out into the woods. There was no way Talyn could be serious. He'd heard the story, yes. Pretty much everyone in Teldrassil knew of Talyn's insane tale about his little blood elf in Northrend. How he'd screwed up, and how a sin'dorei girl had saved him and the rest.

And then how she had simply vanished into thin air. How Talyn had been dragged away screaming that they needed to save someone who didn't exist. No one really knew the full details of the assignment, Talyn had never been permitted to tell, but they knew this: at only seventeen that mission had broken him. He had to be removed from the Alliance military, and it had taken all of five years for that wound to scar. Thaellas didn't doubt that a blood elf had saved his cousin. If she'd really been as young as Talyn said she was, then it was possible she might have been capable of having some empathy for her enemies. Especially under the circumstances. His family had been grateful to this girl they'd never met, but it was a widely accepted notion that they never would meet her.

Talyn had been consumed with guilt after the fact, and for a long time he had insisted that she was still out there. The entire family had to stop him from sneaking out of Teldrassil to go looking for her on more than one occasion. Thaellas had heard his parents talk about it for months. The scout reports were not pretty. The battlefield had been riddled with bodies. Not a survivor to be seen. Whatever happened in the Howling Fjord that day, no one outside Talyn and his friends could truly say and they did. But they were seldom believed.

"How do you even know it's her? You and I both know that girl should be dead."

"Just let me talk to her." Talyn said. "If she doesn't recognize me we do this your way, but if she does…"

"Your proposal completely negates my reasons for kidnapping her. Besides, if she was the same girl, why did she not recognize you before?" Thaellas said. For a split second, Talyn hesitated. His eyes widened and he chewed his lip, and then he dodged the question.

"I'll cover the ransom. I'll give you the twenty-thousand gold and more if you ask it. She was sick and delirious. Just let me see. I have to know." Talyn was almost begging at this point. His head was bowed and his brows furrowed. He stood tense and shrunken down. It was one of the rare moments that the hunter saw the druid behave like this. Talyn had massive authority issues. He did not take kindly to orders from other people, and he liked it even less when he had no choice but to follow them. The druid did not look angry now, only desperate. He was submissive in every imaginable way, and he was willingly compromising against himself.

It didn't help that the offer itself was worrying enough. Talyn wasn't a bad person, but he was about as stingy as a goblin when it came to money. He saved it all in different bank accounts across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, and he wouldn't touch the gold for months on end. When he did he withdrew very tiny amounts – maybe forty gold on an indulgent day – and it took a fair amount of arm-twisting just to get him to help out a guild member. Now he was just offering up thousands of his savings? Plus the expenses for Stormwind? Over a blood elf who he didn't even know?

Talyn was regressing back into his seventeen-year-old self. Finally, just when he'd stopped talking about her and quit asking the Horde spies for information, this happens. The wound was reopening and Talyn was starting to lose it. But it would be a simple fix. Cruel, perhaps, but simple. To let Talyn talk to the blood elf meant crushing his hopes. It would be terrible to watch, and Talyn would likely fall back into the depression they'd all spent so much time trying to heal.

At the same time it would be even crueler to let him think that the blood elf girl he knew was still alive. It wasn't impossible, but it was highly unlikely. Even if she had survived the explosion, she would've been executed in Orgrimmar. If by some miracle she'd earned a lighter sentence, then the orcs would be holding her in their dungeons.

No way would Talyn survive a solo siege on an Orcish dungeon. No one would ever be crazy enough to go with him.

Thaellas had no choice.

"Fine." He said. "But I _will_ hold you to your word."

"I expect nothing less."

/*\

Lilliya scratched beneath the dragonhawks chin as she resumed her wary dialogue with the gnome. Holly didn't seem eager to harm Lilliya, which the elf took as a good sign. In fact, she was rather amicable for a blood-sworn enemy. She explained the situation in full, but Lilliya was not stupid. Alliance lackeys were not this friendly. There was no way it would be that simple.

"So, Holly, this is not a malicious kidnapping." She stated cautiously. "You don't plan to do anything with me other than deliver me back to my mother when the week is over."

"That's it." The gnome responded. "This is in no way going to be any sort of adventure, but at least we'll be staying in Stormwind. We won't be camping out in the rain, and with a little arm-twisting I'm sure I can get Thaellas to let you have your own bed."

"Assuming the guards don't kill me first." Lilliya murmured. From what Holly had described the leader of this mission – the silver night elf – was absolutely mad. There was no way this plan was going to work. He'd planned out the kidnapping bit perfectly. Though it was a rather cowardly move to use a drug to capture someone who looked as frail as her, it had actually been very wise on his part. She was certain that they didn't know the true extent of her power, but it sounded like he didn't want to risk his people getting hurt.

Compassion was an admirable trait in a leader.

But that didn't change the fact that the rest of his plan was utterly ridiculous. Stormwind was not a kind place for a blood elf, even worse than Gilneas. No Alliance territory was safe for her, but Stormwind was the lion's den. It was the central hub of Alliance activity, and it wouldn't take long for someone to notice her. With the help of a little magic, she might be able to pass for one of the neutral high elves, but such illusions were easily seen through. She would just have to keep her head down as long as she possibly could.

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?" Lilliya asked. The gnome shrugged.

"You don't. That being said I'm not lying. I don't know how much stock you put into the words of a little old gnome like me, but I swear we have nothing nefarious planned. We just need money."

"Then why not hire a rogue to go pickpocketing? Surely that would have been easier."

"Perhaps, but it also would've taken longer and we'd have had to forfeit some of the stolen gold as payment."

"So you're an impatient lot." Lilliya quipped. To her surprise the gnome laughed.

"Yeah, just a bit. But in our defense we'd spent months camping out on a murloc-infested beach. All we want is to go home."

"That in itself is fair. But this is ridiculous. There is no way you'll keep me in Stormwind unnoticed." The elf protested, but Holly's face remained unfazed. In fact, she only smiled wider.

"Ah don't worry about that. We aren't going to be staying _in_ Stormwind."

"But you just said–"

"We'll be staying _underneath_ it."

/*\

Madrii and Derul listened in on the conversations from within their tent. The longer this went on the edgier everyone got. The couple knew that the guild members were planning something, but they didn't know what. If they could get away with pretending to sleep and eavesdrop a little, it could be incredibly helpful.

It had saved their lives on more than one occasion.

Naturally the blood elf was perplexed and suspicious. No surprise there. Holly was doing her best to placate their ill prisoner. There was no need to be rude or nasty. She was incapacitated, and Thaellas was snarky and suspicious enough for all of them. No, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on in the tent next door. However that was not the only conversation taking place.

The night elf himself was carrying on a very soft dialogue with his cousin just at the edge of the camp. The two draenei had to strain their ears just to catch the words. It certainly seemed to be a conversation worth listening in on. Talyn was arguing with Thaellas about the blood elf. The druid wanted access to her and Thaellas was not impressed. At least he wasn't until Talyn said something about…money? They couldn't hear the conversation in full, but it seemed odd that he would offer to pay her ransom out of the blue.

"Did he just offer to buy her?" Derul murmured, a perturbed look on his face. Madrii sniffed.

"Sounds like it. Twenty thousand gold is a lot just to have a 'conversation' with her."

The two continued to listen, but if the conversation was hard to make out before, it was even more so now. With each faint murmur Madrii became more and more stunned. Did Thaellas just agree to the druid's terms?

This wasn't good. If there was one thing that the Alliance did not take kindly to, it was slavery. And now their leader was partaking in it. They had to intervene, but a fight would not end well. Three coordinated guild members against an amateur mage and a wounded paladin? No way would that work. The couple had to do this stealthily. They had to get the elf girl to trust them, at least as much as Horde would trust Alliance, and they had to get her out of here. Fast.

/*\

When Thaellas returned, Lilliya watched him with wary eyes. Holly was insistent that the people within this camp had no interest in hurting her, and she was sure that was true. Unless she tried to escape that is. The night elf snapped at the gnome in fluid Darnassian, and he motioned with his head for the dragonhawk to leave her lap.

Slowly the creature slinked away, and she was left staring up at the night elf uneasily. He almost looked angry and a spark of fear flashed down her spine. Sure she'd been told they didn't want to hurt her, but that didn't mean they were telling her the truth. What was going on? The man spoke to the gnome again without taking his eyes off her, and Holly translated.

"Lilliya, he says that his cousin would like to speak with you." She said. This gave the blood elf pause. Could his cousin be the man she'd initially spoken with? The druid?

Wait. The druid. The one with violet hair and a familiar engraved staff.

"The man who healed me?" She inquired. Holly nodded. The hunter said something else. Lilliya might have ignored him in disinterest, but then she caught a name. No. No way. She heard wrong, she had to have. The gnome began her translation.

"The druid's name is Talyn, he–" But that was all Lilliya needed to hear.

"Talyn?" She interrupted. "His name is Talyn?" Slowly Holly nodded.

"Yes. I just told you that."

"Talyn…Frostfire?" She asked hesitantly. It was impossible, she knew it was impossible. The man's eyes widened in surprise and Holly blinked.

"How do you know that?" She asked, but Lilliya had already marched out of the tent into the rain. There was no way that Talyn could be here.

Talyn Frostfire was dead. Lilliya had killed him.

/*\

At first, the only word that Talyn could think of to describe her face was horror. She looked like she'd seen a ghost, a ghost that would overpower her and devour her whole. She was almost exactly as he remembered her. She was just as tiny as she used to be, standing at barely above five feet tall. Her silk robes hugged her waifish figure perfectly, and her eyes radiated a fel energy that might have once terrified him. Her pink lips parted in shock, and she pushed the long bronze hair out of her face. Her nose was red with the cold, and her pierced ears stood at articulate points.

It was like she'd been frozen in time, a memory taunting him from beyond, but she soon made it perfectly clear that she was real. She breathed out his name and approached him, lucid and awe-struck. She touched his face lightly, her caress lighter than a butterflies wings.

"It's you." She said, affirming his tangibility. "It's really you."

He nodded speechless. It was then that her expression morphed. No longer was she gazing up at him, mesmerized and just a little frightened. No, this was the girl he had first met. The one who had literally scared him into pissing his pants and singed off his pathetic excuse of a beard. Her brows scrunched together and her mouth twisted into an angry grimace. It was only seconds later that a sharp pain exploded in the middle of his face. For a split second his ears rang and he saw stars, before he registered the dripping.

She stood before him, swearing and shaking out her hand, working away the pain in her knuckles. Holly was laughing boisterously, and Thaellas was staring at him dumbstruck. It was only when Talyn lifted his hand to his face and found blood that it really hit him.

After all this time and all this worrying, his reuniting with her was supposed to be a happy occasion. She was supposed to leap into his arms, singing his praises and calling him her hero. He was supposed to take her to some remote land far away where she could have the life she wanted and live in peace, and he could move on knowing that he had kept his promise and saved her. Maybe he had even envisioned a future once or twice where she came back to Nighthaven with him. But no:

Instead, she had punched him in the face and broken his nose.

 **/*\**

 **Seven chapters down. Yay!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Asdlkjfa;ksd;adh**

 **/*\**

 _Light._ Lilliya thought to herself as she glided her fingers over Talyn's cheek. _He's alive, he's actually alive._

A wave of relief washed over her. If he was alive then that had to mean the others were too right? Right. Perhaps it hadn't all been in vain. Maybe they were off living their lives somewhere, happy and at peace. They had everything she had aimed to give them, and even if the plan hadn't gone exactly the way she'd wanted it to the primary goal had been met. She'd done what she set out to do, and for a split second she found herself feeling inexplicably happy. For a split second, she desperately wanted to– well it didn't matter what she wanted to do, because something else occurred to her.

Talyn was _alive_. He was standing right before her, in perfect health and donning leathers and weapons quality enough to speak of his competence. Yes his presence before her meant that she had actually succeeded where she thought she'd failed, but it also meant something else. She felt her brows furrow.

It meant that he'd betrayed her.

Her hand fell to her side and she stared at his chest. As much as she was glad to see him, she could feel her blood boiling. If he was here then it meant he broke his promise. Unlike him she had faced the consequences of his actions, where he had likely forgotten her. He had probably returned home, and regaled the pretty night elf girls with stories of Northrend and how he had gallantly saved the party. He'd probably omitted her and the other members of the Horde who had helped them, and he'd pushed her to the back of his mind. The shock on Talyn's face did not escape her notice. He recognized her, but he had not expected to see her here.

So she did the only thing she could do. No longer could she use her magic. She could neither burn nor freeze him and she was so much smaller that there was no way she could physically subdue him, and yet there was only one thing she could think to do.

Her blood boiled and in that moment all she could see was a field of red. Her fingers balled into a fist and she lashed out, punching him with all the might her tiny body held. She imagined the action brought her at least as much pain as it brought him. Where he stood stock still and calmly examined the blood he pulled away, she was bent over swearing as she tried to work away the sharp sensation spiking through her hand. She could faintly register the sound of the gnome laughing behind her, but her focus was centered elsewhere.

"It's nice to see you too, Lilliya." Talyn drawled, hissing as he set the cartilage of his nose back in place.

"Don't. You. Dare." The blood elf growled. "Don't you dare start with me: You deserved that and you know it." The green glow in the druids hand faded, and though she could see that spark of anger flash through his eyes he nodded his head. He opened his mouth to speak when a sharp voice rang out from across the way.

Turning her head, Lilliya saw the last tent fly open as a tall draenei woman stomped out.

"What is going on?!"

/*\

Holly had never felt so amused in her life. He was her friend, certainly, but Talyn could really be an arrogant bastard. It wasn't often that a pretty girl would even look at him sideways, forget punch him hard enough to cause actual damage. Whatever Talyn had done to this girl, it wasn't good. Holly knew this, and she knew she shouldn't laugh, but the _look on his face._

It was absolutely priceless.

Talyn glared at the blood elf but interestingly enough he made no move to fight back. He only focused on healing himself and though he might have made a comment at her afterwards, whatever argument that might have dissolved into was interrupted. They had caught the attention of Madrii and Derul, and the two exited their own respective tent to investigate.

"Hello." The blood elf greeted. She turned to Thaellas. "The other members of your party?" The night elf nodded and the two draenei looked on at her, eyebrows raised. Holly couldn't help but quirk her head. They knew she spoke Common. Why were they surprised? Thaellas did the formal introductions.

"Lilliya, Madrii and Derul."

"Hello," Madrii said after a brief pause, "I am Madrii. What's going on out here?" She repeated. Much to Holly's amusement, Thaellas spat out a short explanation in Draenei.

"It turns out she and Talyn are already acquainted." He growled. "She wasn't happy to see him."

"No she wasn't." Holly giggled. "Broke his nose, she did."

Derul looked at the blood elf, and he seemed almost…concerned?

"What did he do?" He asked, speaking Common. Being a paladin, Derul didn't much care about race – at least he wasn't supposed to – so he extended his kindness wherever it was needed. The girl was plainly in a great amount of distress, and as sick as she was she probably needed medicine or at least some magic. Given her reaction to Talyn, it would probably have to be Derul to administer any healing spells.

His question did seem a little odd though. Given the context of the situation it wouldn't be irrational for the girl to lash out, especially at someone she recognized across enemy lines. She did look awfully angry and Talyn remained stoic. Holly had never seen the druid appear so statuesque. It was like he couldn't even hear what was going on as he stared at Lilliya. The elf glared up at him and responded in a hushed tone.

"I think a better question would be, what hasn't he done?" She whispered, and the scenery burst into flame.

/*\

Thaellas moved quickly. The girl was a fire mage, and even if she was weak the sight of his cousin had angered her deeply. Somehow she was angrier with his presence than the fact that she'd been kidnapped. The night elf found that he was suddenly very happy for the rain.

Even if the tents and supply crates had been entirely doused in blue and white flames, the rain was able to put it out in a matter of seconds. It didn't hurt that the elf couldn't continue feeding the fire. The girl had bent over coughing, her miniscule mana reserve depleted. Thaellas was prepared to slam her in the side of the head with his bow when both Derul and Talyn intervened.

"It's not her fault–!"

"Don't–!"

The two spoke in unison, interrupting each other. They had both leapt in between Thaellas and the girl, and Talyn looked sideways at the paladin before he slowly nodded in thanks. The hunter felt his eyes narrow.

"Had she not been sick, she would have destroyed what few supplies we had." Thaellas snarled.

"It's not her fault." Talyn responded. "It's–" He stopped himself. "It's a condition. She can't always control what happens with her magic." Derul turned to the druid.

"Condition?" He asked. He quirked a brow at the retching blood elf momentarily. "What kind of condition?" His question was met with momentary silence. Talyn shook his head.

"I'm not certain of the details myself." He looked down. "She never told me."

"Good thing I didn't too." She chimed in, her voice scratchy. "You're a liar and a thief. You ruined everything." She gasped, voice cracking. The druid whirled on her. He grabbed hold of her wrist and wrenched her to her feet. Where just a few seconds ago he was pleading with Thaellas not to hurt her, his face had twisted into something sour and just a tad murderous.

For a moment, Thaellas wondered if Talyn might actually hit her.

"You are alive because of me." He said, jabbing a finger in her face. She slapped it away and stood straight, craning her neck up to stare into his eyes.

"I spent twenty-five days as a prisoner in _Undercity_ because of you." She shot back. "Syline and Zol'Tan are DEAD because of you!" By the end she was shouting, and Talyn froze. A look of surprise crossed his face. The camp had fallen silent. Madrii gazed on, her fingers nearly covering her mouth. Holly had stopped laughing long ago, and her imp glanced back and forth between her and the quarreling elves nervously. _Much more of this,_ Thaellas thought to himself, _and it'll be Talyn who gets set on fire._ Talyn opened his mouth, to say something Thaellas presumed, but he never got the chance. He placed himself between the two and stared at Talyn.

"I think you should back off for a minute." He snapped in Darnassian, and then he turned to the girl to do the same.

He was going to snap at her too, to tell her to get back in the tent and not to cause any more trouble. He was incredibly upset with her, after all the stupid blood elf had nearly destroyed what little food and shelter they had left, but he found himself unable to be harsh. The expression on her face was enough to persuade him otherwise. Though she did her best to hide it, tears had welled up in her eyes. Whether her nose was red from the sickness, her grief, or merely the cold he didn't know. Her fingers had balled into comically small fists, and her tiny body shook like a leaf. She stared up at him defiantly, unblinking, waiting for him to say something. One thing became apparent immediately.

Though it was obvious she was on the verge, no way was she going to let herself cry.

Thaellas had never been especially fond of blood elves, but this was the first time he'd ever seen one express any emotion other than rage or condescension. She was magic-less, vulnerable, and she looked as though she might actually break. Her anguish was so thick, so potent, that Thaellas could almost feel it seeping into his soul. He felt his face relax and he spoke, mustering whatever Common he could remember.

"Back to the tent." He told her softly, awkwardly placing a hand on her shoulder. "Get warm. I will be there soon. You will have to answer questions." She looked like she wanted to protest, to continue her fight with Talyn, but Holly had come up and grabbed her hand.

"C'mon love." She said. "He's right. Get under that blanket and I'll see if I can't scrounge up some tea for you." Silently, the blood elf followed the gnome with no argument.

/*\

"You lied to me." Vyir hissed, whirling on Kael. He'd dragged the other man to an obscure alleyway within Undercity, where he could quietly unleash his anger at Kael uninterrupted. "You said you talked to her, that she was willing to help."

"She wouldn't have understood." Kael answered, his voice equally sharp. "Lilliya is too young to comprehend the complexities of a situation like this. She never would have agreed." To this Vyir snorted.

"Yeah right, this is just about as complex as killing zombies. If she didn't agree – as is her right – we had a backup plan. You lied because you were afraid. That, or you don't actually believe in this." Vyir moved to turn away but Kael had grabbed his wrist.

"That's not it." He said. "That's not it at all. Lilliya is unstable. You know that. I told you. She needs someone who is able to help her, to keep her calm. You are the only man I know who would have the patience." Vyir raised a single bronze eyebrow.

"Horseshit." And he wrenched his hand from Kael's grip. "Father doesn't care. His stance is that I have much longer to live, and I should marry when I feel the time is right. Your sister plainly feels the same."

"My sister is despised by everyone in Quel'Thalas." Kael answered softly. "Whatever happened in Northrend, it wasn't good. The sin'dorei avoid her like the plague, hide their children when they see her walking down the street."

"And yet no one knows what she did?"

"All they know is that she was discharged for practicing dangerous magic. They think she got the boot for necromancy, but she wouldn't do that. No I think she did something much, much worse."

"Then why wouldn't they have killed her?" Vyir demanded. Kael sighed.

"She's sin'dorei. She's an aristocrat. From what little information I was able to gather, Lor'Themar was able to argue for her on the basis of preserving our race and my families bloodline. As you well know, most of the population was eradicated after the Alliance betrayed us. She was given leniency on the condition that she have children." Kael spat. Vyir tilted his head.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"Because I didn't find out until father passed."

/*\

Imra was not impressed. It seemed that almost each and every person in Undercity knew of her predicament, and with each passing comment – whether it was sympathetic or scathing – put her just a little more on edge.

If the people of Quel'Thalas found out that Lilliya was gone, they would hunt her down. They would not believe that she'd been kidnapped by the Alliance, but rather they'd deem it a 'rescue party' by whatever allies she may have on the outside. The blood elves would not stop until she was dead, and the fact that it was common knowledge within this town only strengthened her anxiety.

It would be far too easy for a wandering blood elf to overhear something.

Imra's distress only intensified when one of the city's dark rangers approached her. An oddly beautiful undead huntress with eyes glowing a rich shade of red strode up and spoke.

"I was instructed to find you, Lady Imra Silverspell." The dead elf's blank stare bored into her.

"By my son?" She asked. She hadn't been able to find Kael or the Morninglight family anywhere. She'd been wandering around the city aimlessly, searching out her wayward son. The ranger shook her head.

"Lady Sylvanas has requested your presence. She says she wishes to help you with the search of your daughter. We rangers were instructed to keep this information secret, to keep an eye out for anything suspicious but," She glared around, annoyed, "it seems that someone could not keep their mouth shut." To this Imra raised an eyebrow.

"I appreciate the offer, but why would the Dark Lady preoccupy herself with my daughter? Surely the Banshee Queen has far more pressing matters to attend to." She quipped. The ranger only shrugged, lightly readjusting her cape. It was then that the paladin realized the other elf was very subtly tapping her foot.

Imra had always thought fidgeting was a trait reserved for the living.

"I cannot claim to know my Lady's motives, only that she wished me to retrieve you." The dead elf said, her voice echoing delicately in the air. Imra nodded.

"Very well. Bring me to your queen."

 **/*\**

 **Aosdnoadfn**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi.**

 **/*\**

Thaellas watched carefully as Holly led the blood elf back into his tent. This did not bode well. _So that's her._ He mused. _That's the girl who saved Talyn's life._

All of a sudden this entire situation had become far more complicated. Thaellas had made a deal with Talyn. He would be expected to hand the girl over in exchange for the payment, and he couldn't do that. It would be too similar to what Pitch had in mind. He wasn't a trafficker, of elves or any other sentient being. It didn't help that the blood elf – Lilliya – seemed to hold a great deal of animosity towards his cousin.

 _No. I can't let Talyn take her, not just yet_. Her reaction had told him volumes, and though he suspected it was all a misunderstanding he couldn't stave down the feeling that something wasn't right. He'd never heard anything about anyone named Syline or Zol'Tan. And what was this 'condition' of hers? One thing was abundantly clear: Talyn hadn't told the entire truth.

The silver elf stared at his cousin, who glared at him expectantly. Thaellas pointed to his lip.

"You've still got some blood left over." He said. Talyn nodded gratefully and wiped it away.

"She's still very sick. When she's calmed down you should let me heal her a bit more."

"That won't be necessary." A heavily accented voice intervened. "I can heal her. I regained enough strength that I was able to repair my wounds this morning. I've fully recovered." Derul stated, crossing his arms.

Thaellas watched Talyn carefully, waiting to see what the druid would do. His eyes flashed but he kept his tone even. _Smart._ Thaellas thought.

"This is none of your concern." The night elf said. "I know her. I have to speak with her and clarify a few things." He insisted. Derul grunted.

"Understood. All the same, it will not help if she's trying to scratch your eyes out while you heal her."

"He's got a point." Thaellas muttered. Talyn winced.

"You're siding with the mercenary?" He hissed as soon as Derul turned away, preparing to enter the other tent.

"Right now yes." Thaellas responded. "You made her so incredibly angry that she somehow lost control of her borderline zero mana and nearly burned the camp down. She was going to set you on fire given the chance."

"Nothing she hasn't done before." Talyn said shrugging. Thaellas raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. I'd rather not turn you over to my aunt half dead from burn wounds." Thaellas then turned and raised his voice. "Derul. Don't heal her too much. We don't want her regaining full use of her magic."

"I know, I know." The draenei waved him off. "When shall I get started?"

"As soon as I'm done talking to her. And you." He pointed to Talyn. "You stay right there. Do not move until I've returned."

/*\

Imra's body shook and her hands balled into fists. The fel power in her eyes momentarily flared before she forced it back down. The Dark Lady would surely kill her for such insolence, if her guards did not do so first. Once she might have been the Banshee Queen's equal, but no longer. Lady Silverspell had become the inferior player in both stature and power. No way would she win that fight.

But one thing that could be said for Imra, as her husband had once so eloquently put it, was that she took shit from no one.

"I'd say you have some gall to speak to me that way." The paladin snarled. "But you are no longer a sin'dorei ranger."

"And you are not the sniveling little girl I saw last." Sylvanas quipped back. "Things have changed and so have we." Her voice echoed unnaturally in the air. Imra breathed deeply, and then glared at the queen with the ferocity of the dragonflights.

"I'm certain that your request breaks at least fifty different Horde laws. I ought to report you to the other leaders." She spouted indignantly. Sylvanas raised an eyebrow.

"And what would they do?" She asked. "Things are unstable right now. We need unity. They'd be willing to look the other way. Do you honestly expect me to believe your daughter has been kidnapped?" She inquired dispassionately.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Imra responded, just above a whisper. "Do you mean to question my loyalty, _Lady Windrunner_?"

"If you insist on using titles, _Lady Silverspell_ , then Dark Lady will suffice just fine." Sylvanas corrected. "And I would not dream of insulting you in such a way. I just never thought you were so dull." She jumped down from her pedestal and strode towards the paladin. Everyone but a pair of rangers had been evacuated from the Royal Chamber. The woman who escorted Imra stood a ways away, awkwardly watching the encounter and visibly trying not to fidget while the other stood entirely motionless.

"And how would I be dull, Sylvanas?" Imra asked. The Warchief stopped in front of her, considering her.

"No, you aren't dull." She conceded. "You know that Lor'Themar did not tell you everything."

"You're not wrong. But you hardly know either. It was kept so quiet that even her own mother was excluded." The paladin spat. The Banshee Queen nodded.

"Hellscream was a violent wretch. He was aggressive, lacked tact, and unfortunately for him he was not nearly as clever as he thought he was. I know far more about the workings of the Horde than he might like." Her voice pitched smugly. She tilted her head at Imra, considering her. "Would you like to know the truth?"

/*\

Lilliya silently took the cup of tea that the gnome handed to her. She wouldn't even meet Holly's eyes as the smaller woman spoke.

"You alright?" She asked, twiddling her fingers.

"I will be." The blood elf responded. "I should have known to expect something like this. Talyn was never the most reliable person." She stated.

Holly opened her mouth to say something when the tent flew open for a split second and Thaellas walked in. Lilliya stared up at him, resigned. He would demand to know what the hell that was, and he would not let her dodge the questions.

His eyes glowed fiercely silver, and Lilliya clutched the cup of tea just a little tighter. She took a sip and a harsh shiver wracked its way down her spine. The adrenaline had worn off, and Lilliya felt as though her body was made of lead. Her hair was completely soaked, and her robe was damp.

The night elf placed a pack beside her and beckoned to the gnome, saying something.

"He says to get changed and tie your hair up. He doesn't want your illness to get any worse."

"Really?" Lilliya responded. "You do know that if I get better, my magic comes back right?" To this Holly raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want dry clothes or not?" The gnome demanded. Lilliya turned her gaze downwards.

"May I have some privacy?"

She could see the two nod from the corner of her eye, and as soon as they left she jumped on her pack. She assessed it, and inwardly sighed. This was all of her old stuff from her year in Northrend. Weak item after weak item, she kept all the things she outgrew in it. Magically speaking. She opened it up to see what she could make use of, and her eyes flew open.

None of this was her old armor and wands. Instead some of her newest clothing had been placed inside. A plain white robe, a pair of silks, and even the souvenir party dress her mother had brought her from this last Lunar Festival. Some of the articles were arguably her prettiest pieces of clothing.

And they were all entirely useless.

Resigned, Lilliya selected a plain woolen robe. It wasn't her favorite, and she didn't especially care for the purple bow that tied just beneath her breasts, but it was warm. The cloth slid over her skin, for a moment feeling softer than any silk, and she searched for anything she could use to fix her hair. Nothing.

So she picked up one of her silks, and unlaced the ribbon on the back. She pulled the damp tresses over her shoulder and neatly plaited the hair. Though it was fashionable for women to have shorter hair, Lilliya had never liked the style.

Once she tied it off, she found herself staring hard at the floor. She knew what the night elf would ask. She knew she would not tell him a thing. She could only imagine what he would do to her for it. She had been trained to withstand torture – her body bore enough scars to impress even the orcs – but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. He probably wouldn't do anything. After all he was planning on sending her back within a short amount of time but, if he was as violent as she thought, there were things he could do to her without it being immediately visible. She took a moment to mentally steel herself.

Whatever Thaellas did to her, she would be ready for it.

When the night elf returned she noticed that Holly had not come with him. She met his eyes and waited. _Just ask the question_. She mentally pleaded. _Just ask the question so we can be done with this._

"How do you know my cousin?" He asked, his words slow in coming. That would be safe enough to tell him. A conversation about Northrend might distract him from asking more personal questions.

"He didn't tell you?" She drawled, then louder, "I'm not surprised. I imagine it would be very disgraceful for him to admit that a blood elf saved his ass." To this Thaellas looked at her questioningly. "This is a tent. Everyone else in your camp can hear this conversation." She said. His expression cleared.

"Ah. Actually I did know that part." Thaellas said. "After he came home from Northrend he was…he wanted to find you. The rest of our family assumed that the elf who saved him – you – was dead. We did everything we could to stop him from going after you."

Lilliya stared at him emotionlessly, but internally her emotions roiled. No way. Talyn wasn't like that. At least going by what she knew of him. Thaellas appeared to be telling the truth though. He had actually seemed to calm down a great deal. He stared at her, eye to eye. His arms were crossed and a neutral expression decorated his face.

Lilliya wasn't buying it.

"You're a good liar, I'll give you that." She said. "But I think you and I both know Talyn isn't that person. He bolted and took everyone with him, and I have no anger over that. Their safety was our priority, but he shouldn't have lied to me." Thaellas tilted his head.

"He lied to you?"

"Many times. I should have known he lied when he said he'd come back for us too." She spat bitterly. This seemed to catch the night elf's attention.

"'Us?'" He asked. "You were the only–" He seemed to lose the word. "Person?" He looked to her for confirmation. She nodded. "You were the only person he spoke of." To this, Lilliya snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, do you really think I could have pulled that off alone?" She snarled. "Warsong Hold is huge. There are guards every ten feet. It took quite a few of us to get them out. In the aftermath, the entire situation was kept under wraps but the ringleaders suffered dearly."

"Including you?" Thaellas inquired. "You mentioned names, Syline and Zol'Tan. Who were they?"

Lilliya paused and closed her eyes.

"Syline and Zol'Tan were my friends." She said. "They were the other two conspirators. They helped me gain the followers I needed to free your cousin. Zol'Tan was held in a dungeon with me for three days before they made me watch as they executed him. As for Syline I'm not sure what happened to her. After that final confrontation, I never saw her again. I presume she died in the fire." She paused. "Without them, none of us would be alive. I hope you keep that in mind."

Thaellas was silent a moment, and then very gently he asked,

"Why did they not kill you?"

"I'm an aristocrat." She said. Thaellas raised an eyebrow.

"Aristocrats are executed all the time."

 _Well shit._ Lilliya thought to herself. _So much for a distraction._

"I will tell you nothing more." She stated. To her surprise Thaellas nodded.

"Understood." Then he turned. "Talyn!" He called out. "Your turn."

Lilliya's eyes narrowed.

/*\

"She WHAT?!" Imra roared. Sylvanas chuckled.

"You heard me correctly." The Banshee Queen reassured.

"Lilliya wasn't in the wrong." Imra murmured, horrified. "She was the scapegoat."

"Indeed." Imra's eyes flickered back to Sylvanas. "Have you nothing else to say?"

"No."

"Not a word?" The queen goaded. A violent expression crossed Imra's face.

"There are many things I would like to say. You would slaughter me for insulting you." She spat.

"Your anger is not unjust, but you and I have very different priorities. You are no longer fighting in the field, but I am the Warchief. I would do anything to win this war. If my experiment works we could drive the Alliance to surrender in a matter of months."

"I thought you already did this experiment." Imra countered. "And it was successful. You're gaining more soldiers every day."

"What if I said I could end Lilliya's sentence?" Sylvanas dodged. "What if I told you that if you agreed to my terms, she could live in freedom once more?"

This gave Imra pause.

 **/*\**

 **I didn't think that the exposition would take so long. Also things may or many not seem weird in regards to canonic continuity mainly because I have issues figuring out the timelines (e.g. how much time happened between WOTLC and Mists. How long were the demon hunters locked up? Who knows?) Forums have proven to be unhelpful. Also I am unclear as to whether or not Hellscream is still alive, but for the purposes of this story he's dead: mainly because that's what seemed to happen.**

 **-Statyck**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alksdnf;oasgb**

 **/*\**

Lilliya had wondered what Stormwind had looked like almost from the moment she'd first met the night elf who now carried her towards the city.

He'd said he'd be able to give her a safe life within Alliance borders. The Wrynn family was known for being just and ruling fairly. She had been assured that, after some explanation, the human king would allow her a home within his kingdom. He would offer her safety after her bout of heroism, a place within a more peaceful and progressive society, but things had changed.

Talyn moved again, and Lilliya quickly did her best to steady herself. He wasn't a horse, he had no mane, nor anything else for her to hold onto. She gripped his shoulders as best she could and grimaced, while Thaellas quickly came up from the side on his nightsaber. He said something in Darnassian and Talyn snorted, rejecting whatever suggestion the other elf had made. She shot Thaellas a long-suffering look.

He was quick to glance away.

"I understand why you won't let me use any of my own mounts, but why couldn't we at least use the cat?" She hissed.

Talyn didn't respond. She sighed quietly and did her best to remain stable. Talyn, though charming, had never made much sense. At least not to her.

" _It's about time for us to head to Stormwind." Holly had said, translating for Thaellas._

" _Alright. I assume I'll be riding with someone else?"_

" _Indeed." Talyn had intervened. "You'll need someone to ride with."_

" _Talyn…" Thaellas had warned but the druid continued on, blissfully ignoring his cousin._

" _I could use my stag form. You_ did _say you'd always wanted to ride a druid."_ _Talyn said seductively, winking at her. Lilliya blinked at him._

" _You always did have a way of making the most innocent things sound incredibly disgusting." She remarked. "Fine, shift, but if you drop me…."_

" _You'll light me on fire?" Talyn finished. For a moment, Lilliya smiled very faintly at him._

" _You knew exactly what I was going to say."_

Talyn had yet to drop her, but Lilliya was toying with the idea of singing his fur just a tad. She had gotten incredibly nervous, and the further they moved through the foggy plains, the more her anxiety increased. Had she been in full health she probably would have blown something up by now, if only because of her wayward emotions. In only a day they'd managed to make it almost to the Wetlands, and as they approached the tunnel into the swamp, Thaellas quickly circled round to face the rest of the group.

"He says we're going to be camping in Arathi for the night." Holly translated from her perch atop a felsteed. "He wants to go off the main road and look for shelter."

Talyn soon veered and Lilliya began to slide.

 _Much more of this._ She thought. _And I really will kill him._

/*\

Madrii was worried sick.

She had struck up a conversation with the young elf girl. Or at least she'd tried. The girl wasn't quite in the mood for talking, and though that in itself was an understandable thing Madrii also wanted to befriend her as fast as possible. The draenei did not like the way that Talyn had been looking at the blood elf, nor did she care for the fact that he was so insistent she use him as her mount.

Only someone either very innocent or very stupid wouldn't understand the meaning behind some of the druid's remarks. It wasn't until night had fallen and the druid himself was preparing something over the fire that Madrii was able to take her husband aside. She managed to duck behind a rock with him, a fair distance away from the other four people, and began talking.

"I have no idea what to do." Madrii stated. "She's reluctant to speak, I can't get a word out of her, but that boy…" She trailed off, shaking her head furiously. "Thaellas knows we heard that conversation in his tent. There's no way she was playing along with him, but something still doesn't feel right about this."

"I know exactly what you mean." Derul answered. "I think I have an idea."

/*\

Talyn was simply ecstatic. Lilliya wasn't allowed to sleep by herself. Thaellas was sharing his tent with Holly, since Lilliya's little episode had left the gnome with inadequate shelter. Thaellas's tent was too small to house three people, and the same went for the draenei.

It would just be him and her, and though he knew he couldn't actually do anything, it would be enough to have her close.

For now anyways.

He was quick to change out of his armor and into some cloth pants. He gave the woman some privacy while she took her turn to prepare for bed. While he waited outside the tent, Thaellas approached him.

"If you fuck this up, we're switching tents." He growled. "And something tells me you don't want that."

"Why hasn't Holly gone home yet?" Talyn idly wondered. "Dun Morogh is right there. She could have left from the very start."

"She probably wants to see what happens." Thaellas answered, shrugging. "But you don't get to dodge this. As far as Lilliya goes, if you make any kind of move towards her I'm kicking your ass. She's a hostage, not one of your tavern girls." He threatened.

"Aww," Talyn lilted, "it's like you think you'd actually win that fight."

"I have cut you a lot of slack here Talyn." Thaellas growled. "Don't make me regret it."

"Relax. In case you haven't noticed I'm not exactly on her good side right now. She doesn't want me."

For a moment Thaellas was silent.

"Would that stop you?" The silver elf whispered, studying Talyn intently. Talyn felt his eyes widen. His arms crossed as he shoved down the urge to take a swing at his cousin. Really?!

"I didn't realize you had such a low opinion of me." He spat.

"I didn't realize you thought your habits were secret. I don't know if you know this about yourself, but you get pissed when women reject you."

"I wouldn't do that." Talyn hissed. "And honestly, I'm more pissed at this conversation than the fact that Lilliya wants to kill me. Get out of my sight before I beat the ever-loving shit out of you."

Thaellas had opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it. Someone else had joined the party.

"I can't understand Darnassian," the blood elf stated in Common, letting her gaze flicker back and forth between the two men, "but the two of you sound pretty angry. Is everything alright?"

"Fine," Talyn reassured, "let's go to sleep now, shall we?"

"You can. I want to stay up a little while." She shot a look to Thaellas. "If that's okay."

Talyn softly grumbled to himself. He would have liked to talk to her a bit, but Thaellas gave the okay for her to sit by the fire. Quickly one of the draenei sat beside her, catching her attention. They were too quiet for him to hear, but the blood elf was very quickly caught up in laughing at whatever joke Madrii had told her.

Talyn looked up. The stars shone brightly and Arathi was doused in pale light. The moon was beginning to wax, and in the distance the druid could see the shapes of raptors and smaller animals wandering the landscape. He turned and retreated into the tent.

Maybe he'd gotten Lilliya to cooperate with him, but no way had he gotten her trust back. Not yet. As he settled down on his sleeping mat and pulled his one blanket up over himself, he stared upwards. He couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted something so badly. He wanted the blood elf to forgive him, and it was becoming clearer and clearer that Thaellas didn't want to keep his promise. He wasn't going to let Talyn take Lilliya away, which meant that before the week ended he had to persuade her to run away with him. Somehow he knew that this was the last chance he'd ever be afforded. He couldn't screw this up.

/*\

"Silverspell is your surname?" The male draenei asked from across the fire. "You wouldn't happen to be Imra's daughter?"

"You know my mother? Small world." Lilliya quipped, holding the cloak around her body just a bit tighter. Derul nodded.

"Indeed. We fought together once, as members of the Argent Dawn. We ran a small mission together against Illidan and his demon hunters. We were captains together, trying to get the Alliance and the Horde to temporarily put their differences aside to fight a common enemy." He paused and tilted his head, scrutinizing her for a moment. "How old are you?" He inquired.

"Twenty." Lilliya answered. Derul grunted.

"Hmm…." He wondered. "You wouldn't happen to be a younger sibling?"

"I have an older brother." She said. "Why?" He shook his head.

"Near the end I had to insist she return home. She was beginning to get very abruptly sick at odd times, but was entirely healthy otherwise. Regardless she continued to fight. She was the highest authority, and it wasn't until one of the Horde healers came to me asking for help that we were able to send her home. I fear she never forgave me." The draenei said. Lilliya stared at him, dumbfounded.

"She was pregnant with my brother? And she kept fighting?"

"She wanted to. The battle continued on for seven more years before Illidan finally fell. He was killed by the wardens, and they hold his body still."

"Wow. I never knew that. Mother never liked to talk about the time she spent in the war."

"I imagine not." Derul stated. "She was a very brave woman, but I couldn't have it on my conscience if something happened to her or her unborn child because she wanted to be so reckless."

"Reckless?" Lilliya said, her voice beginning to rise. "I think that's rather brave. It sounds like she was willing to give her all for that mission." To this Derul said nothing. Lilliya straightened. "You know, I'm starting to get a little tired. I think I'm going to go to sleep."

/*\

Lilliya knew that Talyn was still awake the moment she stepped inside the tent. Yes his breathing was even and his eyes were closed, but Lilliya had learned his tells. His strategies were exactly the same as when she had been his prison guard. His hands were clenched in fists, and his face was very conveniently turned away from her line of sight. His breathing might have been even, but he had a difficult time keeping still.

"I know you're awake Talyn." She whispered. Twin amber orbs glowed in the darkness as he turned to look at her.

"I figured." He whispered back. "So you're speaking to me now?"

Lilliya hesitated, then approached and knelt beside him. She reached out a hand and gently touched his face, resting her palm against his cheek. He held her hand there, his eyes lazily falling closed as she used her thumb to stroke his cheekbone. Then she began to trace her index finger across his face. She tapped the end of his nose and he looked up at her questioningly.

"I'm not sorry about that." She said. "You deserved it."

"I know." He mumbled petulantly. "And you shouldn't be. What I did to you was awful."

"So you said."

"I was surprised that Thaellas let me talk to you."

"Were you? I wasn't."

"He thinks…" Talyn started, but then he stopped. He looked at her carefully. "It doesn't matter what he thinks." For a moment everything was silent. Lilliya didn't expect Talyn to tell her the truth, not all of it, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious. Instead of pushing the subject, however, she moved her hand. She let it wander upwards, and she lightly combed her fingers through his long lilac hair. He made no move to stop her, and he watched intently.

"You still don't take proper care of it." She murmured. "There are so many tangles. It's interesting. After five whole years, still nothing has changed."

"You'd be surprised." He whispered. Quickly he pulled her down on top of him and flipped them over, all the while covering her mouth and muffling her tiny shriek of surprise. Immediately Talyn froze and cocked his head. Listening, but for what? If he intended to hurt her she didn't think that anyone else would care.

But then he had been having an intense argument with Thaellas earlier.

"What do you think you're doing?" She whispered, spitting out the purple hair that had landed in her mouth. Talyn leaned down, studying her.

"Let me look at you?" It was plain that the question was meant to sound like a command, but his uncertainty was evident. Lilliya was willing to overlook it for the moment. _I am surrounded by enemies._ She reminded herself. _Tolerate it. As long as he doesn't try to take my clothes off, I'll be fine._

"Okay." She whispered. Talyn didn't hesitate in the slightest. He had her wrists pinned to the ground, and he quickly leaned in. For a horrifying moment Lilliya thought he would try to kiss her, but at the last second he moved. Instead he nuzzled his face into her neck, taking a deep breath and sighed into her skin. One hand moved to knot in her hair, and the other held his weight as he draped himself over her. Lilliya was immediately and acutely aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. His exposed skin rested against her woolen nightdress, the article of clothing the only thing that separated her from the toned muscles that pressed themselves into her. She immediately felt as afraid as she was disgusted with herself.

Whatever feelings she might have had for Talyn back in Northrend didn't qualify now. She was older, knew better now. Talyn wouldn't be able to convince her of an affection that didn't exist, though to his credit he was pretty damn convincing. It wasn't long until his voice sounded again.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…." And for what felt like hours that was all she heard.

"Stop it." She said, turning her face away. "What's done is done. No amount of apology will change that."

"Will you ever forgive me?"

"I don't know." She answered. Talyn gently took her face in one of his hands and turned her gaze back to him.

"Is there anything I can do to increase the possibility that you'll forgive me?"

"…"

"I can smell your distrust. Your fear and anxiety. As a druid I can use those senses to my advantage no matter what form I take."

"Your point?" Lilliya snapped, though quietly. Talyn's mouth twitched into a smirk.

"I can also smell something else." Then he lifted himself up and freed Lilliya from his grasp. "Go. Get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."

Quickly Lilliya darted out from under him, and settled down onto her own sleeping mat.

"No. You have a lot to do tomorrow. I'm just the hostage."

 **/*\**

 **Talyn, you little shit.**

 **-Statyck**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again. Been a while for Stealth, hasn't it?**

 **-Statyck**

 **/*\**

Thaellas was pissed.

He _knew_ he'd heard talking last night. He asked the blood elf about it the next morning and she explained what had happened. How she'd gotten into the tent, how Talyn had pinned her to the ground. She hadn't seemed too upset, and there was no evidence that Talyn had actually done anything, but all the same: He had explicitly told Talyn not to touch her.

Now the druid would suffer the consequences. Thaellas dismissed his dragonhawk and summoned a cat instead. If things went badly, he wanted to have backup. Until that point, however, he didn't want his cousin to feel threatened. Talyn got defensive so easily, and though the blood elf seemed to know how to handle him Thaellas still didn't want to take the chance that he'd do something stupid. Talyn was a loose cannon, and Lilliya had been placed in a very delicate position. Though she was his hostage for the time being, Thaellas wasn't completely heartless. He had no interest in seeing her get hurt.

He grabbed his bow and shoving his hair aside, exited the tent.

/*\

Madrii was in luck. The blood elf had been quietly lamenting the fact that she could not bathe. The draenei couldn't help but overhear as the girl softly murmured to herself in a foreign language, forlornly trying to comb the dirt out of her hair. She remembered that there was a small creek about a mile away, and broached the subject to the girl. Her face had brightened considerably at the prospect of a bath and Holly was still asleep. This was the perfect opportunity to get the girl alone.

So, delighted with the blood elf's enthusiasm, the draenei instructed Lilliya to grab her small backpack and follow her to the stream. She'd warned that it wouldn't be warm, but she could be clean. The girl seemed grateful, but followed slowly.

"Thank you." The elf said. She'd quickly wiped the happy expression off her face, and she held her pack close as she trod through the grass.

"It is a non-issue." Madrii reassured. "You are our prisoner, but we will not make you suffer." Though she intended for her words to be comforting, the elf did not look convinced.

"All the same," she answered, "the stream will be cold. If I were to try and use magic to warm it up, I think you'd object." Lilliya said dryly. For a second the draenei stopped walking, unsure how to answer. Plainly the elf wasn't stupid. Her situation was not lost on her, but all the same Madrii found herself almost surprised.

"Indeed." She said softly.

/*\

Talyn watched, amused, as Madrii led Lilliya away. Talyn was incredibly pleased. For a second, he'd gotten what he wanted and Lilliya hadn't protested in any way. She'd let him close. She let him apologize. Though she didn't seem all that inclined to forgive him just yet, he was beginning to make progress. She hadn't hit or screamed or lobbed a magic fireball at him.

Chances were, the hardest part was over. Now he just needed to increase the amount of time he spent with her. He needed to keep her somewhat separate from the rest of the group. He needed to secure her trust again. Only then would he have any chance of getting her to agree to let him take her someplace else.

That being said, Talyn knew that Thaellas was aware of what happened. He knew that the hunter was going to have his ass for it, and he needed to figure out what to do. Talyn had been stupid. He hadn't thought to anticipate his cousin's sneaking about but there was nothing to be done about it now.

Lilliya had told Thaellas what happened. He would do his damnedest to keep Talyn at bay, and the druid wasn't going to just back down without a fight. Lilliya had nothing to do with the hunter's problems. In this instance she was innocent. He wasn't going to just let the hunter trade her in for money, Talyn had a promise to keep. She deserved better than that.

Though the druid was willing to bet that Thaellas planned on yelling and maybe even a duel he was braced for it. He knew what he'd say and he knew that Thaellas wouldn't budge on whatever decision he made. Talyn just needed to make sure it was a decision he could bend to his benefit.

And so, surveying his surroundings, Talyn shifted into his cat form and let himself melt into the shadows. Though he could hear his cousin summon his pet cat, Talyn wasn't interested in having that particular showdown right now. He had something else in mind.

There was a beautiful blood elf who'd just departed for the stream. He'd much rather occupy his time watching over the woman rather than letting a pissed off hunter yell at him for the duration of the morning.

/*\

Though the icy water itself wasn't exactly pleasant, Lilliya was happy to eradicate the dirt and grime from her hair. She shuddered violently as the freezing stream washed over her bared skin. This couldn't be good for her sickness, and yet she almost would have preferred being sick than to let herself feel so grimy.

She did her best to hasten the bath, trying to move it along as quickly as possible. She clutched the bar of soap and almost violently scrubbed her hair and scalp. Though she'd at least be clean, she could feel the pressure building up in her face. Her eyes felt heavy, her head hurt, and she wanted nothing more than to bundle up into a warm fur by a fire. Her body protested each time she dunked her head back under the water, but she forced herself to endure.

"I should have waited 'til we got to Stormwind." She groaned, leaping out of the water as Madrii tossed over a towel. "Stormwind has plumbing I bet, and I could have had a hot bath that wouldn't aggravate my cold." Lilliya mumbled to herself. She sneezed, and pulled the cloth tighter around her slender body. Madrii had set up a campfire further up the small riverbank, and Lilliya was grateful to see that the draenei had also set up an area of plush fur and blankets in front of it. It was almost as if she'd read the elf's mind. This was exactly what Lilliya wanted.

"Come sit," the older woman beckoned, "it is not much, but it will be enough to prevent your illness from progressing."

Though her captors had been friendly thus far, Lilliya was still suspicious of them. After all, friendly or not they still made it abundantly clear that she was their hostage. No matter how nice any of them seemed, they would not hesitate to kill her should it be in their best interests to do so. With maybe the exception of Talyn.

As Lilliya sat down, her thoughts drifted to Talyn and his cousin. It was early enough in the morning that they wouldn't be expected to depart too soon. The blood elf assumed that was why the draenei had lured her away. She wasn't sure what this woman's motive was, but so far she didn't seem malicious.

"Thank you." Lilliya said after a second, choosing her words carefully. "You did not have to let me do this. I appreciate your taking my comfort into account." Immediately the blood elf buried herself beneath the blankets, trying not to let her hair soak the luxurious pelts. She felt so utterly _cold._ And tired. She wasn't sure why she was tired. She felt like she'd slept forever.

"Do not worry about it." Madrii answered in heavily-accented Common. "It will not help your sickness if you do not bathe. Just as it will not help if I allow you to remain cold. We want you to be able to recover eventually."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Lilliya murmured.

"Because we are worried about what your family might do to us if we aren't." The woman quickly answered. "Here, have some tea." She said, offering a cup from seemingly nowhere.

 _That's strange,_ Lilliya thought to herself, _I didn't even see the teapot._ But there it was, sitting on a stand in front of Madrii, steam emanating from the spout while the draenei assembled the rest of her tea set. The mage couldn't help but think she was a little more unwell than she initially thought.

"Thank you." The blood elf repeated, taking the cup. She sipped at it gingerly, but found herself pleasantly surprised. This flavor was familiar, and she let the liquid soothe both her throat and mind.

Even if the memories attached to this particular tea were a little unpleasant to think about, she didn't mind. It was just tea. It was flowery and sweet, almost cloying, and the heat took the edge off the cold. Madrii encouraged the girl to dress when her hair had mostly dried out, and then the draenei said something else that – in retrospect – was very strange indeed.

"Do not worry little one. You will go home. I'll make sure of it."

/*\

Talyn watched from a distance. Though he definitely liked the idea of seeing his pretty blood elf naked, he also found himself wondering whether or not his current actions could be considered creepy. He had never been one to sneak around women's baths or spy on them as they changed. It was a matter of respect, respect that Lilliya most definitely deserved, but at the same time he did not trust the draenei.

Mercenaries were sketchy people, no matter the race. Moral codes varied from person to person, and he didn't want to take the chance that these particular mercenaries were of the bad sort. He'd seen his fair share of sin'dorei slaves, male and female alike. He knew what people would pay for them and every so often he found himself lurking around illegal brothels and questionable taverns, making sure _she_ had never fallen victim to the trade.

It was all too plausible that a couple down in the financial dumps like Madrii and Derul might see what kind of value Lilliya would hold to their allies, her enemies. She was beautiful. She was of noble blood. Lilliya would definitely be worth a pretty penny on the black market and Talyn didn't want to take the chance that the two were those kinds of people. He almost felt bad, letting the thought cross his mind, but it seemed strange indeed. It wouldn't exactly be beneficial to the group if Madrii nursed the elf back to perfect health. It was strange that she would offer Lilliya the luxury of bathing without doing so herself. And it was definitely odd that Madrii stared at her naked form so intently while in the water and while she dressed. It was almost as if she was appraising her as she changed.

Determining her worth.

As Talyn let himself inch a little closer, he noticed that Lilliya had begun to fall asleep. At this point she'd dressed back into her white woolen robe, discarding the towel. Her hair was still a little damp – definitely not a good idea in the chilly morning air – but she seemed to be warming up in front of the fire. She relaxed into the furs and the draenei watched patiently, a thoughtful expression crossing her blue face.

Talyn wanted nothing more than to dart over to the fire and grab the blood elf, to get her as far away from the party as possible.

But for now that wasn't an option. All he could do was watch and wait. He'd get his chance when they got to Stormwind, but for now the druid would have to be patient. As long as he kept an eye on the mercenaries everything would be fine. He didn't think they'd try anything until they got to the city anyways.

Stormwind was the only place where they auctioned off blood elves.

/*\

Thaellas could find neither hide nor hair of Talyn, and he would've been inclined to go out and investigate the highlands had it not been for the rest of the camp. Madrii and Lilliya were gone, but the draenei had left him a note. The elf had wanted a bath, and that was not an unreasonable request as long as she had supervision. Derul was still asleep in his tent, as was Holly, but his erstwhile cousin was nowhere in sight and there was so much to do before they could get back on the road.

Thaellas groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Talyn wasn't the sort of man who spied on women. Though he was loathe to admit it, Thaellas knew the druid didn't need to resort to sneaking around to get to watch a pretty girl strip. They were usually willing enough. There was a reason that Thaellas always made sure he had money for separate rooms when traveling with Talyn.

But at present, Thaellas couldn't think of any alternatives. He wasn't cooking, he wasn't sleeping, and there were no settlements nearby for him to harass. He didn't care for hunting, and he wasn't exactly the scouting sort. Spying on Lilliya was the most plausible theory. That was most likely what Talyn was doing. The hunter grumbled to himself and decided to occupy his mind with other tasks before tackling Talyn's questionable antics. The camp wasn't going to pack itself, and it was plain that no one else was going to get started for a while. He wanted to get back on the road soon. He couldn't afford to wait.

If Lilliya's family had decided to follow them and caught up to the party, they would all be so screwed. So, annoyed for the time being, Thaellas set to work on his tent.

Talyn was going to be the death of him.

/*\

Lilliya returned to the camp to find exotic mounts being loaded up with supplies. She clutched her bag a little bit tighter. After Arathi, they would be headed into the Wetlands. She bit her lip nervously and inched forward when Thaellas beckoned her.

"We're going to be in Alliance territory." He stated, his Common breaking just a tad. "It will be dangerous. Stay close."

"Duly noted." Lilliya answered softly, looking down to the ground. That wasn't good. The farther away they got from Quel'Thalas, the more nervous Lilliya got. If they found her, there was no guarantee they'd treat her as an ally. She looked back up only when Thaellas grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"This is temporary." He murmured. "You will go home." And just as quickly his hand fell away and he resumed his task. Before she even had the chance to respond, something brushed Lilliya's leg and she jumped. A deep violet cat had rubbed its face against her knee, and she glared at it.

"Hello Talyn." She grumbled. "What, exactly, do you think you're doing?"

The cat meowed innocently, but offered no other answer. Thaellas looked in her direction and his face immediately darkened. He began speaking in Darnassian, long fluid words that meant nothing to her, but plainly aggravated the panther.

The cat's ears flattened and he bared his teeth. He began to growl when Lilliya nudged him with her foot.

"I don't think that's a good idea." She said. It was a mere moment before the cat transformed into an elf a full two feet taller than her.

"It's okay." He said, wiping a speck of dirt off his glove. Though he kept his face neutral, his body remained tense. "Thaellas is just throwing a hissy fit."

"Over?"

"He's forbidding me from sharing a tent with you anymore." The druid easily answered. "He's mad because I talked to you last night."

"No." Thaellas intervened. "I am angry because you touched her."

"Angry is a strong word." Talyn quipped. "Do you mean 'annoyed'?"

Immediately the argument reverted back to Darnassian and Lilliya slunk away.

Though Thaellas's behavior irked her, she wasn't about to intervene. She sincerely doubted she'd get another opportunity like this. With everyone else preoccupied with something, whether it was packing or fighting or even sleeping still, she might be able to make it this time. She was feeling a little better, and she could sense that a small amount of her mana had replenished. She wasn't well by any means, not quite yet, but she just might be able to pull this off.

So feigning innocence, she moved towards a tree.

"And just where do you think you're going?" A voice asked. Lilliya turned and found Holly glaring at her, arms crossed.

"I need to pee. There's a tree right there." The blood elf bluntly retorted, hoping the gnome might fluster and leave her be. No such luck. Instead Holly raised an eyebrow. It was obvious: Holly didn't believe her. Lilliya swore to herself, plotting additional tactics, and then the gnome spoke.

"Alright." Holly answered slowly. "But if you aren't back within the next five minutes, I'm coming after you."

"Understood."

With that Lilliya made a beeline for the tree. She only had a limited amount of time, and there was no doubt that Holly was keeping a very close eye on this tree. If she could pull this off then everything would turn out just fine. She just had to be quick.

Lilliya had several mounts. Treasures from various dungeons or just indulgent buys. She had one that was as small as it was fast, and though it wasn't as impressive as some of her other mounts it was ideal for her current situation. She could faintly hear shouting as she shot up into the air.

They would be behind her shortly enough. After all the trouble they went to, drugging her, kidnapping her, they wouldn't just let her go that easily. But a head start could be the difference between freedom and servitude. Her mount darted up into the air and through the clouds. She was soaked all over again, but that didn't matter. No one could see her, and that left her with a dilemma as equally exciting as it was horrifying.

Lilliya had no idea which direction she needed to go. And even if she did, she found that she wasn't sure she'd want to go back to Quel'Thalas. As she looked around, the clouds entirely uniform, she heard a loud roar. Panic struck her heart. Her captors had summoned their own mounts, and they wasted no time in searching her out. For now, only one person followed her into the sky. Talyn had summoned a drake. He sped up through the clouds, the giant lizard throwing its wings out dramatically. As her little wyvern shot away into the brewing storm, he was quick to pursue her.

 **/*\**

 **To those who were enjoying this: I'm sorry I took so long to update. I got stuck, and distracted with more ideas for stories.**

 **-Statyck**


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